Ok
1st of all a 'VIRUS ALERT' msg is always in system tray right next to the clock
2nd the START button gives no access to the programs installed. The All Programs tab simply disapeared
3rd My Computer doesn't display two of my drives, the main ones, where I have Windows installed. C:, where I keep my programs and everything internet related and D:, dedicated just to gaming (needless to say the gaming partition runs smoothly, the infection ocurred while using the Windows XP in C: drive)
Something must have been corrupted beyond repair, I just just wanted some feedback before I format this partition. Always a last resort, but hey... it's Windows for you