Windows 7: Desktop shortcuts have been infected.

Last week I clicked on a desktop shortcut to a web site, a Word document came up with what looks like is computer code.
I removed my MS Office 2000 which also removed Word and started using WordPad. I clicked on a shotcut and a WordPad document came up with what looks like is computer code!
I clicked on most of my other shortcuts and selected Properties:
Under type of file I get "DOC File (.doc)"
Under Open With I get "WordPad"
I don"t think I have done anything to create this problem but I am just dumb enough to contribute to the situation.

UPDATE 3/26/12:
I received a notification email stating there was a post to my discussion, I clicked the link and WordPad came up, I copied the link and pasted it in IE Address bar and immediately came to this site.
I then proceded to double click all my desktop icons and each one that contained a link brought up WordPad.
I then opened my deleted emails, which only go back to 3/19/12, and each one that contained a link brought up WordPad.
How do I stop the links from opening WordPad?
Another UPDATE:
I created a shortcut for this web page, whenI double click it I get the WordPad program. However, if I create a Favorite and I click on it I get directly to this webpage!
SOLUTION:
Go to control panel and find set default programs, then find your browser and select it. Then click choose defaults for this program and select all availible.

It sounds like you tried to open a document that MS Word 2000 could not display properly or the file was not really a Word document.. Uninstalling MS Office 2000 will cause the operating system to associate WordPad with the file extension of ".doc"... so that part is normal.