so, i fixed this for my friend. what i did was copy the download queue right before it extracted and deleted the temp files and rar'd it for him.
[ link removed ]
just extract that to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Stardock\Impulse\Temporary (which is set as default in impulse, so change if necessary) and try running the update again from scratch. worked for us.
steps we took outlined before for reference (some may be unnecessary)
1. update to beta patch (he was able to despite problems with official one)
2. verify integrity of game so you can update to offical patch.
3. before download, copy rar'd file into location mentioned above.
4. run impulse patch
let me know if this works for anyone else