Unregistering iTunes Automation Server uninstall error, followed shortly by BSOD

I run windows 7 64bit

Recently (past couple months), my iTunes has no longer loaded. When I double-click the system tray icon, it highlights, then the highlight fades, and the system freezes. A BSOD follows. When I try in uninstall iTunes, I get hung up on "ungregistering iTunes automation server." After hanging there for a few seconds, the system locks up and blue-screens again.

To see what was going on, I booted in safe mode, and tried to uninstall iTunes there (there is a simple fix to make Windows Installer work in safe mode). When I try to uninstall iTunes, I still get hung up on "unregistering iTunes automation server." However, after hanging for a few seconds, an error pops up saying iTunes is missing files and needs to be reinstalled (instead of blue-screen). If I click ok, the installer then seems to run for a little bit more before returning an installer package error 2324, and then rolling back the uninstall progress (resetting me to zero).

I have already tried the quicktime downgrade fix (7.2) and had no success. I have also just tried installing quicktime (7.3) indepedently of iTunes, and still get the same problem. I cannot do the 6-step uninstall process that I've have found hunting around these forums because I'm supposed to uninstall iTunes first in their process...and I can't do that.

On a tangential note (and I think the problems are related), Spotify also blue-screens my computer, but the software at least opens and lets me see my library (and I uploaded my iTunes library onto Spotify) for a little bit.