Merge replication throwing very weird error messages

I've been setting up subscriptions to a merge publication for the past 3 days. All of a sudden, I'm getting a pile of very strange errors. Replication is configured. I have 16 subscribers to an existing publication configured and synchronizing changes without any issues. The script that I'm using to create all of the subscriptions is as follows:

use [PIC]

exec sp_addmergesubscription @.publication = N'PIC', @.subscriber = N'machinename\SQLEXPRESS',

@.subscriber_db = N'MyDatabase', @.subscription_type = N'Push', @.sync_type = N'Automatic',

@.subscriber_type = N'Global', @.subscription_priority = 75, @.description = N'', @.use_interactive_resolver = N'False'

exec sp_addmergepushsubscription_agent @.publication = N'PIC', @.subscriber = N'machinename\SQLEXPRESS',

@.subscriber_db = N'MyDatabase', @.job_login = null, @.job_password = null, @.subscriber_security_mode = 1,

@.publisher_security_mode = 1, @.frequency_type = 64, @.frequency_interval = 0, @.frequency_relative_interval = 0,

@.frequency_recurrence_factor = 0, @.frequency_subday = 0, @.frequency_subday_interval = 0, @.active_start_time_of_day = 0,

@.active_end_time_of_day = 235959, @.active_start_date = 0, @.active_end_date = 0

GO

The last one that I added #17, gives the following errors after successfully creating the subscription.

Command attempted:

{call sys.sp_MSmergesubscribedb ('true', 0) }

Error messages:

The merge process could not initialize the subscription. Ensure that the subscription registration exists at the publisher, and reregister the subscription if necessary. (Source: MSSQL_REPL, Error number: MSSQL_REPL-2147201011)
Get help: http://help/MSSQL_REPL-2147201011

RegCreateKeyEx() returned error 5, 'Access is denied.' (Source: MSSQLServer, Error number: 22002)
Get help: http://help/22002

Could not add article resolver 'Microsoft SQL Server Additive Conflict Resolver' information to the registry (Source: MSSQLServer, Error number: 21713)
Get help: http://help/21713

Could not register article resolver: 'Microsoft SQL Server Additive Conflict Resolver'. (Source: MSSQLServer, Error number: 21715)
Get help: http://help/21715

The system tables for merge replication could not be created successfully. (Source: MSSQLServer, Error number: 20008)
Get help: http://help/20008

I've tried to manually create it using the GUI and get an even stranger error message as follows:

TITLE: New Subscription Wizard

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is unable to access replication components because replication is not installed on this instance of SQL Server. For information about installing replication, see the topic Installing Replication in SQL Server Books Online.

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&ProdVer=9.00.1399.06&EvtSrc=Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.UI.ReplUtilitiesErrorSR&EvtID=ReplicationNotInstalled&LinkId=20476

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Replication components are not installed on this server. Run SQL Server Setup again and select the option to install replication. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 21028)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&ProdVer=09.00.1399&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=21028&LinkId=20476

BUTTONS:

OK

I very obviously have replication installed by virtue of the fact that I have a publication and 16 subscriptions that are currently synchronizing. Any ideas?

Yes, I can connect to the subscriber from the server. That's how I created the subscription database in the first place, by connecting a query window to the subscriber and issuing a create database statement.|||

Is it the same account you are using to run this command as the other 16 subscriptions?

Did the sql server service account change between the success and this failure attempt?

Did you add sp_addmergesubscription_agent to those successful subscriptions too?

|||Same account was used to run these two commands for all of the other 16 subscriptions. No, the service account did not change. Yes, we successfully added sp_addmergesubscription_agent to the other 16.