Well, personally I am a fan of format and reinstall if hings are that FUBAR'ed. It will take less time, and unlike the workarounds that may help, this will definitely work.
No one likes to do this, and there may be some glamor in getting a frozen system to come around, but while reloading everything, it gives you time to think about using one of those "image" products - Acronis or Ghost or whatever. You also get time to reflect on the importance of up to date spyware/adware/virus protection which is used, and regular backups. If you have any left over time, you can think about Linux as a substitue for all of this fun.
I wish you luck!