Resolved Is it a virus? Win 10 boots a green desktop and stops

[Riwam]

I installed in my aged MacBook 4.1 early 2008 Windows 10 besides my OSX.
Everything worked for a while reasonably well for such an old mac.

Yesterday when I booted on the Windows side, I was greeted by a very nice lanscape picture with 2 questions on one corner, if I like it or if I don't.
Somehow I thought it was part of the desktop pictures of Microsoft and stupidly klicked on the place where I was answering I liked it.
The reaction was something like "thank you, we will supply further pictures".
Then the desktop became all green and the turning white dots (usual at the begin of Windows 10) began turning around over the green background.
Only that it did not stop and I can not access any longer the normal logging.

From the Mac OSX side I can see every folder, copy and save files and have free access to each one.
Strangely I found some files called "Panther", a name I never saw before.
Googling I found there was once a trojan called Panther-R, but its effects I believe were different.

I scanned the computer with a Ubuntu Linux based DVD combining 4 antivirus engines, called "Desinfec't" and issued every year by the german "c't" computer magazin.
After updating all the signatures the 4 engines started to scan, one after the other,
They found at the end a certain number of worms and trojans and reported they were made inactive.

However I still cannot boot my Windows, remaining on the green desktop with the turning white dots.
If it is a new kind of virus (which seems to be the case), there is no encryption of the files and no ransom message.
Does anybody know what it could be and how to eliminate it (besides deleting the partition and installing Windows again, a PITA I would like to avoid).
I tried with F8 to enter in the "safe" mode of Windows but had no success (a mac doesn't work in every point like a Windows notebook).

Thank you very much in advance for any hint!
Ed

 

[Shirasaki]

What you see a green desktop with a few dots rotating is Windows is trying to load log in page and allow you to either enter the system directly or enter password.
It seems that Windows 10 cannot load a system process which manages Windows login in.
If one of your friend is tech-savvy, then he might have some options to diagnose this system issue. And as system cannot load, whatever ransomware would not load that easily, unless it is the reason why your system cannot boot.

 

[Riwam]

What you see a green desktop with a few dots rotating is Windows is trying to load log in page and allow you to either enter the system directly or enter password.
It seems that Windows 10 cannot load a system process which manages Windows login in.
If one of your friend is tech-savvy, then he might have some options to diagnose this system issue. And as system cannot load, whatever ransomware would not load that easily, unless it is the reason why your system cannot boot.

************
Thank you very much Shirasaki for trying to help me.

I found a way through the key F8 while pressing at the same time other keys, to enter into the repair options.
I chose then to do a full reset.
The first time it did not change the problem but the second time it worked.
It deleted all the programs I had installed but at least I have again a working Windows.

Although I cannot prove it, I believe that the strange appearing "beautiful" wall paper "asking me to click" either on I like it or in I don't, was the reason why Windows logging stoped working and that it is a kind of malware, although not the ransomware type but just of the kind it simply causes harm to other computers.
Some sick people find pleasure in causing harm even if it is not for stealing private sensible data or asking for money to free the computer.

Again, thank you very much Shirasaki!

 

[Shirasaki]

************
Thank you very much Shirasaki for trying to help me.

I found a way through the key F8 while pressing at the same time other keys, to enter into the repair options.
I chose then to do a full reset.
The first time it did not change the problem but the second time it worked.
It deleted all the programs I had installed but at least I have again a working Windows.

Although I cannot prove it, I believe that the strange appearing "beautiful" wall paper "asking me to click" either on I like it or in I don't, was the reason why Windows logging stoped working and that it is a kind of malware, although not the ransomware type but just of the kind it simply causes harm to other computers.
Some sick people find pleasure in causing harm even if it is not for stealing private sensible data or asking for money to free the computer.

Again, thank you very much Shirasaki!

I will also need to say thank you for your reply and time. It is a pleasure.
The feature you see only appear when Windows lock screen is set to show "Windows spotlight". That feature will download a picture from web, and show it as lock screen wallpaper. To better fit your personal taste, Windows 10 also introduces a feedback feature, which is the one you see to ask "if you like this picture or not". Clicking "I like" will retain this picture on lock screen for a few days. Click "i don't like" however, will immediately replace that wallpaper to another one.
So, you can safely ignore that feedback and continue login in to Windows as usual. Enjoying beautiful or even stunning photos from all over the world is at least not a bad thing, yeah?
Again, thanks for your time and reply.

 

[Riwam]

I will also need to say thank you for your reply and time. It is a pleasure.
The feature you see only appear when Windows lock screen is set to show "Windows spotlight". That feature will download a picture from web, and show it as lock screen wallpaper. To better fit your personal taste, Windows 10 also introduces a feedback feature, which is the one you see to ask "if you like this picture or not". Clicking "I like" will retain this picture on lock screen for a few days. Click "i don't like" however, will immediately replace that wallpaper to another one.
So, you can safely ignore that feedback and continue login in to Windows as usual. Enjoying beautiful or even stunning photos from all over the world is at least not a bad thing, yeah?
Again, thanks for your time and reply.

****
Thank you very much Shirasaki for your explanation of a feature of Windows which was unknown to me, (although I still don't know why afterwards logging in was no longer possible).
Thank you for your goodwill to help and instruct others.
Good that in this forum are kind people like you
Ed