Some exe files become lnk files and I can't open either.

So I got a virus or something infected on my computer. I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint the site that caused me the issue. What happened is all of my shortcuts on my desktop (Really just Steam and Ad-Aware) were turned into lnk files. I can't use them, and when I go to an actual exe file (For example, Ad-Aware, so I could remove the virus) it won't launch. No error message, just no launch. Sometimes my mouse will have that little loading wheel next to it for a while, but it dosen't change anything. Googling suggests I need to fix my registry most often. I tried to fix it both by using the exe and lnk fixes found here http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/f... And I also exported the registry from another computer (the same computer I am using to post this now) and that computer has no problems, I import it onto my computer, restart and nothing changes. I don't know if the virus keeps changing the registry when I restart, and I don't know if there is any way to get rid of the virus without using my Ad-Aware because I can't launch any exe files. Any help is greatly appreciated, I would like this fixed as soon as possible and have spent the last 5-6 hours working on it. Thank you in advanced.