Windows cannot update - Error 80073712

My Win 7 PC kept re-installing the same updates over and over. When I looked at the update history, it looked like several updates failed, and then a few days later the five new updates (they came after the ones that failed) started reinstalling themselves over and over. I tried several troubleshooting steps found on various message boards (including all steps at the following: Unable to install updates in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2) , and now I can't even see my update history any more.

When I go to Windows update, it still gives error 80073712.

Ran SURT - prompted me to install Hotfix KB 947821, which I did.

sfc /scannow -- Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation

Can't get sfc to run in safe mode either.

I tried repair install of W7SP1 from disk, but it gets to the step where it tries to download updates and then fails saying it needs to download updates and cannot.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks very much for being willing to help. Here is a link to a dropbox with the components file in it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/kb78rhu6vj...components.zip

I was going to try to do a restore, but for some reason I can't see any restore points prior to the problems -- I even tried clicking "show more dates" but there is nothing listed. Is there a maximum number of restore points? Because the particular set of updates that kept re-installing created a restore point each time, but I can't even see any earlier than about a week ago.

Thanks very much for trying to help. I appreciate it. I've tried to do a repair install (created the install disk, launched from within Windows, etc.) but at some point it seems to be trying to download updates and fails, so I think I may have to just do a clean install.