[MiKTeX] Everything crashes after mpm --update

[Nicholas F. <nf...@gm...>]

Hello, I am trying to set up a new MiKTeX installation, but after mpm
--update keep getting problems. Here's what happened

0.
I use anaconda terminal in windows 10. Tried installing miktex as a conda
package, which worked at first, but had some incompatible miktex packages,
so I uninstalled the conda package.

1.
Install basic-miktex-2.9.6361-x64.exe in single user mode
latexmk --help works

2.
Configure mpm to download from a mirror offering https

3.
mpm --update
94 packages have been successfully updated.
In the log file, C:/Users/me/AppData/Local/MiKTeX/2.9/miktex/log/mpmcli.log,
2017-10-25 14:46:33,644-0700 INFO  mpmcli - starting: mpmcli 2.9.6346
(MiKTeX 2.9.6350 64-bit)
2017-10-25 14:46:34,425-0700 INFO  mpmcli - downloading
https://www.pirbot.com/mirrors/ctan/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/miktex-zzdb2-2.9.tar.lzma.
..
2017-10-25 14:46:36,331-0700 INFO  mpmcli - 959849 bytes, 491.27 KB/Sec
2017-10-25 14:46:50,269-0700 INFO  mpmcli - updating package definition
directory ("C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9\tpm\packages")...
mpm --version
MiKTeX Package Manager 2.9.6405 (MiKTeX 2.9.6400 64-bit) ...

4.
Try to build some tex files:
latexmk --help
Unhandled exception at 0x00007FFAC9B5C6B3 (vcruntime140.dll) in
latexmk.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation reading location
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. occurred

In the DebugView,
[1196] INFO  latexmk - starting with command line: latexmk --help

In the log file mpmcli.log,
2017-10-25 15:23:39,821-0700 FATAL mpmcli - MiKTeX encountered an internal
error.
2017-10-25 15:23:39,821-0700 FATAL mpmcli - Info:
2017-10-25 15:23:39,821-0700 FATAL mpmcli - Source:
Libraries\MiKTeX\PackageManager\PackageManager.cpp
2017-10-25 15:23:39,821-0700 FATAL mpmcli - Line: 656

5.
Try to open latexmk.exe with Dependency Walker. The file fails to load and
crashes Dependency Walker.

6.
Try to run latex.exe --help: get a popup window with the message
?GetWrite18Mode@TeXApp@TeXAndFriends@MiKTeX@@QEBA?AW4Write18Mode@123@XZ
could not be located in the dynamic link library
C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\latex.exe.

7.
Check system files with sfc /scannow. No problems found.

8.
Try to uninstall MiKTeX. Uninstaller opens and clicks through to
completion, but changes nothing. Manually delete folders and any obvious
registry entries.

9.
Repeat everything. Same results.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks,
Nick