Help me make sense of this error with Zune software and Vista!

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I'm about to go crazy trying to figure this out, as I feel like it's just out of my reach. I absolutely cannot get the Zune software for any extended time on Vista Ultimate. I'll try to make this breif, but here's what I've done:

1. Installed Zune software for the first time in my new installation of Vista Ultimate. The setup downloaded new updates (even though I just downloaded this setup file directly from zune.net).
2. I connected my Zune hardware to the computer for the first time when prompted by setup, and initially setup my Zune hardware as a guest. I need time first to set up my library in the software before I reauthorize this new machine to my purchased DRM music.
3. Installation completes, and I'm in the software. I input my account login, and set a few settings to my liking, then close the software.
4. I copy over all my music files, a combination of ripped mp3's and purchased DRM music from the Zune Marketplace.
5. Later that day, after I've done numerous other things to my new OS install, I start to play some music. The entire Zune software will gray out and "stop working", as a dialog pops up that says this, and prompts me to now close it. I click on the only option to close, and the software disappears. It will continue to do this every time within a minute, although it's never an exact science when it'll decide to close.
6. I uninstall and reinstall the software, and although the initial installation will go fine, once it starts searching for any Zune hardware, it will come up with the same "Zune has stopped working, checking for a solution to the problem" error. Again, it's completely inconsistent, as sometimes it'll let me get through a couple of screens before it'll stop. Other times, it's within 5 seconds of me starting it.
7. At first I tried systematically shutting down programs in the background one by one, to see if it was conflicting with anything, but to no avail. I got it to the bare minimums, and it was still giving me the error.
8. I then went into msconfig, and decided to completely disallow ALL programs and ALL services from running on startup. Unfortunately, upon opening the Zune software, it still displayed the same error.
9. I eventually decided to do a complete reinstall of Vista, since I hadn't gotten far with it. Upon re-entry, the first thing I did was install the Zune software. Installation went fine, and I was able to setup my Zune again as a guest (something it wouldn't give me time to do before the Vista reinstallation).
10. Since I didn't have my X-Fi driver installed and music copied back over yet, I left the Zune software open for a minute or two, but no longer. In retrospect, I should've left the software open for an hour or two to see if it would simply stay open. I don't have to play a song for it eventually stop working.
11. I installed the X-Fi drivers, then copied over my music. In the meantime, I accidentally opened Media Center and installed MSN Messenger. When I accidentally opened Media Center, the Zune Network Sharing Service quit working within seconds. Seems like a smoking gun, I know, but I'm not convinced since the Zune software wasn't running at the time, only the service.
12. After only these steps, the Zune software continues to do the same thing with minimal work done to a fresh install of Vista.

I've witnessed three different types of error logs in the event viewer with this problem, and although they are mostly the same, I can't tell you which it will spit out at which time. I don't understand the differences in these.

Log Name: Application
Source: Application Error
Date: 2/1/2007 12:54:46 AM
Event ID: 1000
Task Category: (100)
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Josh-PC
Description:
Faulting application Zune.exe, version 1.2.5511.0, time stamp 0x457f304f, faulting module zunelib.dll, version 1.2.5511.0, time stamp 0x457f3060, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x004ee7db, process id 0x3d0, application start time 0x01c745c576238140.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Application Error" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">1000</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>100</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2007-02-01T05:54:46.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>1301</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>Josh-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>Zune.exe</Data>
<Data>1.2.5511.0</Data>
<Data>457f304f</Data>
<Data>zunelib.dll</Data>
<Data>1.2.5511.0</Data>
<Data>457f3060</Data>
<Data>c0000005</Data>
<Data>004ee7db</Data>
<Data>3d0</Data>
<Data>01c745c576238140</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Log Name: Application
Source: Application Error
Date: 2/1/2007 12:55:21 AM
Event ID: 1000
Task Category: (100)
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Josh-PC
Description:
Faulting application ZuneNss.exe, version 1.2.5511.0, time stamp 0x457f303e, faulting module ZuneLib.dll, version 1.2.5511.0, time stamp 0x457f3060, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x004ee7db, process id 0x169c, application start time 0x01c745c56dc8ead2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Application Error" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">1000</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>100</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2007-02-01T05:55:21.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>1303</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>Josh-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>ZuneNss.exe</Data>
<Data>1.2.5511.0</Data>
<Data>457f303e</Data>
<Data>ZuneLib.dll</Data>
<Data>1.2.5511.0</Data>
<Data>457f3060</Data>
<Data>c0000005</Data>
<Data>004ee7db</Data>
<Data>169c</Data>
<Data>01c745c56dc8ead2</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Log Name: System
Source: Service Control Manager
Date: 2/1/2007 12:55:26 AM
Event ID: 7034
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Josh-PC
Description:
The Zune Network Sharing Service service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 2 time(s).
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Service Control Manager" Guid="{555908D1-A6D7-4695-8E1E-26931D2012F4}" EventSourceName="Service Control Manager" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49152">7034</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2007-02-01T05:55:26.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>2136</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Josh-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="param1">Zune Network Sharing Service</Data>
<Data Name="param2">2</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Can someone please make sense of this stuff and give me a couple of suggestions of what to try? Luckily this is the only problem I'm having with Vista so far, and it's a minor one, but it's completely annoying not to be able to play my encrypted songs because Microsoft's programs won't work with each other. My best bet is to somehow hopefully get enough time to register my Zune as a guest again so it will allow me to get into the software right out of the gate. Currently, it wants to check for hardware every single frickin' time, unless the program will stay open for 30 seconds and let itself realize there's nothing there (which will never happen). If I can get into the software, I can log in fairly quickly and authorize a couple of songs before it closes on me, then I can play them WMP11.

I'll give a cookie to anyone who helps me.

System:
Asus P5B Deluxe (I've considered updating the BIOS)
Conroe E6600
Corsair PC2-6400 2GB (2x1GB)
eVGA 7800GT
Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
Logitech G15 KB and G5 mouse
Brother laser printer

 

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Anyone?