Windows 10 - stuck on orange screen with white circling dots

Hello Mike,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused Windows 10.

1. What do you by re-loaded windows? Did you use the reset option in the recovery options or you re-installed (clean install) windows 10?

2. Are you using windows 10 home?

3. “Orange startup screen”, do you get this during windows 10 boot up?

If yes, I suggest you to run Startup repair from Advance boot option.

It may ask you to insert the Installation DVD/USB while doing startup repair.

If you don’t have an installation media, you have to create an installation media for that.

You may download an ISO from the below link:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Once your media is ready follow the steps.

• After you boot your computer using Windows 10 CD/ DVD or System Repair Disc, a black screen appears with gray text "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD". Press any key.

• Select the correct time and Keyboard type.

• Click on Repair your computer in the lower left corner.

• Select Troubleshoot from Choose an option screen.

• Click on Advanced options in Troubleshoot screen.

• Click on Automatic Repair from Advanced Options screen.

• Next, choose the operating system by clicking on its button.

• Windows 10 will look for problems on hard drive(s) and verify that all required files are intact.

If you are using Windows 10 home, it has Remote Desktop for connecting to other computers, but you can't remote desktop to Windows 10 Home itself.

Hope the information helps, do reply if you need further assistance.

Thank you.

I have Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on this desktop PC.  I used the Reset option, after trying the Startup repair from Advance boot option.  Neither did anything to help with this issue, I still am only able to see this orange screen:

After searching the internet I was able to find a remarkably long and convoluted process to enable booting to safe mode in Windows 10.  The computer will boot successfully to the desktop in safe mode.  This allowed me to re-enable remote desktop after the Windows 10 Reset, so I can also now boot (in non-safe mode) to the orange screen and again access the fully booted OS through remote desktop.

But in normal mode I only get the orange screen - and I have tried two monitors.

I tried again to use the Startup repair from Advance boot option.  It says "Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC" probably because Windows has actually fully booted.  It just wont give me access through a monitor, only through remote desktop.

Note that from the orange screen, I can use some Windows functions such as Windows-P to manage monitors:

If I use ctrl-alt-del I get this view:

But I can find no way to get to the actual desktop unless I'm in safe mode.

What else can I do?

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the information and screenshot.

Are you connected to a domain?

Do you get this orange screen after the sign-in/log-in screen?

You may boot the computer in safe mode by following the below link.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-10/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode

You may access msconfig from the safe mode and boot the Desktop system in Clean Boot to check if you are facing this same issue in clean boot state.

(we are booting to clean boot to check if the issue is caused by third party application and services)

This helps eliminate software conflicts that occur when you install a program or an update or when you run a program in Windows. It starts Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs.

How to perform a Clean Boot in Windows:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

(The above link also applies to Windows 10.)

Disclaimer: After troubleshooting, refer to this section "How to reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshooting" in the above link.

You may also create a new user account and check.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-10/getstarted-set-up-accounts

Hope the information helps. Do reply if you need further ****istance.

Thank you.

This PC is not part of a domain, and I never get to a login screen; only the orange screen above.

Your linked instructions for Safe Mode are not useful in my situation, as they assume I can boot normally into the system and then set an option to boot to safe mode.  There is a way to boot to safe mode without the ability to boot normally but it is well hidden and complex - I will detail it below for future readers of this thread.

Your suggestion regarding Clean Boot is also not applicable.  The instructions show how to disable services and startup items for third party applications.  However, as I stated in my original post, I Reset Windows 10 so there are no third party services or startup items.  Never the less, I went through the steps and the results are the same - orange screen with white circling dots.

Finally, your suggestion regarding creating a new user account is again not applicable.  I have multiple accounts on this PC. As I never am presented with a login screen, I cannot utilize any of them.

I await your next repair step…

For readers who are unable to boot normally and wish to boot to safe mode (only try this if you are technically advanced):

• Boot to a Windows 10 installation disk
• Go to Troubleshoot – Advanced Options – DOS Prompt (one might wonder why “Boot to Safe Mode” is not available in Advanced Options!)
• Follow the instructions here: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2304-safe-mode-start-windows-10-a.html#option3

I re-installed from scratch...Seems like there was no other solution

i had the laptop for 2 weeks.... Learning that's it's never too early to backup :-)