I would question your assumption related to the virus infection while taking a minute to study what actually has infected your machine.  Additionally, I would analyse what you did to get the virus in the first place.  Exchange/Outlook mail, surfing under Administrator rights, surfing without a NoScript, accepting attachments, Adobe, using a USB key to the best of your ability and track the source?

While you can certainly attempt to resurrect your system, it's actually going to be faster and easier to use running Linux.
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

Some of the determination related to whether you should rebuild, of course, is going to lay on what hardware your system is?  Some more obscure drivers don't come inherent in even recent distros? 
You can do a quick google of your systems to include raid card, hardware bus and chipset and include wireless card to help with this decision.

And whatever you run, you will need to become completely aware of the limitations in security for that distro/OS.

Before you rebuild you can boot into a LiveCD (Knoppix is the easiest) and move all your files to a USB key should you have important documents or photos you need to save.  You could actually run with a LiveCD for a while until you determine what to do.

You could also run with BOTH, setting up a dual boot system.  Which distro you choose is going to, again, depend on your hardware?

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> From: kitepilot@kitepilot.com
> To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> Subject: Re: ot: virus in MS (what to do)
> Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:18:29 -0500
>
> >> the best thing to do is to reinstall the system.
> Wrong...
> The best think to do is to ditch Micro$haft and install Linux.
> Not that I am being facetious... ;-)
> Enrique
>
>
>
> mike havens writes:
>
> > hey guys, I know that if you get a virus in M$ the best thing to do is to
> > reinstall the system. Would the next best thing be to install a copy of
> > clamwin into their computer.?
> >
> > --
> > :-)~MIKE~(-:
> ---------------------------------------------------
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