Failure Configuring ILM for User Profile Service Application

I followed all the steps in both Microsofts and Harbar's guides to configurating the User Profile Synchronization Service. However, I am still having the dreaded "stuck on starting" problem. From the ULS Viewer, I have determined the problem starts here ...

g4bk - High - Synchronization database was not previously initialized. Exporting the encryption key from the registry key to the database

That is the last message that I believe is normally part of the provisioning process. After that I receive ...

g4bq - High - ILM Configuration: The miissku.exe process exited with error code -2146893813. Error:

And then ...

9q15 - High - UserProfileApplication.SynchronizeMIIS: Failed to configure ILM, will attempt during next rerun. Exception: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: Exception of type 'System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException' was thrown. at Microsoft.Office.Server.UserProfiles.Synchronization.ILMPostSetupConfiguration.ExportMiisEncryptionKey(String encryptionKeyFileName) at Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.UserProfileApplication.BackupILMEncryptionKey(ILMPostSetupConfiguration psc) at Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.UserProfileApplication.SetupSynchronizationService(ProfileSynchronizationServiceInstance profileSyncInstance).

These errors in the ULS Viewer are accompanied by error event IDs 22 and 3 in the Application Event Viewer - related to Forefront Identity Manager.

I am at a loss here and really don't know what else to try. I have a Farm configuration, but everything is actually one 1 server. The server is running Windows Server 2008 R2 with a full install of SQL 2008 R2. I have given my service account permissions to replicate directory changes, local logon rights, and it is in the local administrators group.

Please help.