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So I *think* I was lucky tonight.
Long story short, I landed on a web page I should not have opened while surfing imgur (some guy linked to a porn page in the comment section, tinyurl, etc...), and in a panic to rush-close this page, I CLICKED ON AN AD.  
What happened is then more than obvious : it opened a new page in the browser that asked for money to unpack my now "compressed hard drive", the webpage froze, actually windows froze completely while my hard drive started to crawl. No task manager, no nothing, so I powered down the PC.
On startup, only black screen after bootup, I could see the mouse pointer, and hear my hd being scanned. *heartbeat intensifies*. With all the ransomware currently out in the wild, I already feared the worse.
Immediate restart, went into the win10 startup mode (F4 in case you need it), tons of repair options, installed the last restore point.
Same behaviour.
Immediate restart again, back in win10 startup mode, and started in safe mode. PC started, all data still available on the hd. Long time I had not been sooo relieved ( yes I know, backup etc... ). Installed the malwarebytes copy I always have on my machine (because usually safe mode = no network = no download), launched scan, and bingo, had three malwares installed in the registry "image file execution"[^] keys. Learned what this is - check the link - and it is quite terrifying that hijacking a process is made so simple  
Once cleaned up, restarted, then some more hd noise on black screen after startup - just to maintain tension - but eventually the windows logon appeared, and now everything is up and running again *wow*
The windows 10 startup menu is _really_ good once you know how to enter and use it. I do not think I would have recovered that easily on XP or on win7. Plus everything seems to work without any problem now, gives a new shiny robust impression on win10.  If things should get worse, in the stratup mode, you can save some of your data (like pictures or videos) in a partition that is created on the fly, and reinstall windows without needing any external device.
I yet have to find out how clicking a link on a webpage can create registry keys with all the UAC stuff running in the background - I have no admin privileges in my session - but I guess it is the point of viruses to do things that are not supposed to be possible. For the records, it hijacked svchost.exe, mrt.exe, and mspgeng.exe, which are probably all launched at startup.
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You are very fortunate!
Quote: I yet have to find out how clicking a link on a webpage can create registry keys with all the UAC stuff running in the background
This part caught my attention. What browser do you use? I am surprised a browser can access those keys of the registry programmatically. Things that make you go hmm...
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Chrome. I suppose the click downloaded and executed some code that modified the registry keys, but the hd crawling started almsot instantaneously.
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Send the info (including the ad URL form your history) to Google - if they don't know there is a problem, they can't fix it..
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Rage wrote: some guy linked to a porn page in the comment section, tinyurl, etc
Oh yeah, as in 'I have a friend'!
Come on, admit it, you were watching porn. 
In fact the same thing happened to me, a porn site, click an ad, some page pops up saying 'your PC has been blocked' etc. I just closed the window and it is OK.
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Could have happened in a previous life, but for this time it really wasn't intended - which also explains why I reacted so abruptly. In retrospect, no reason for the hurry, but panic is panic.
I investigated the registry thing a little bit, and I wonder whether I had not had the malware already installed on the PC, and I just awoke it by clicking on the ad.
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Rage wrote: I yet have to find out how clicking a link on a webpage can create registry keys with all the UAC stuff running in the background - I have no admin privileges in my session - but I guess it is the point of viruses to do things that are not supposed to be possible.
They exploited a stack of vulnerabilities to break out of the Chrome tab sandbox, break out of the parent Chrome process, and then privilege escalate themselves to admin status.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Because of stories like this, I surf the internet with NoScript and AdBlock always on blocking all scripts and ads by default unless I expressly permit them for any given domain. While it does break a lot of sites completely (single-page web apps) and leaves most sites looking pretty barren, it does prevent malicious scripts from launching due to an accidental/errant click. I event wrote a small program that lets me execute an HTTP GET request against a website so I can inspect the text stream that they send back. This has, by extension, also allows me to read Forbes articles while bypassing their adblocker countermeasures.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); }
Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
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Foothill wrote: allows me to read Forbes articles while bypassing their adblocker countermeasures
If a site is going to be that much of a putz, I can do without their material.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Jeez, this happens so often maybe someone should start an EOWOTD.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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There is a way to postpone it until after the 23rd?
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: There is a way to postpone it until after the 23rd?
Turns out there was a scheduling conflict. The Nibiruians double booked their planet for a collision with Earth and a gamma ray cleanse at the same time. Oopsie! They didn't have another free weekend until the 15th of October. 
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I've been doing my own exhaustive research into the EOW and, using passages from various books, birth dates, ages, peoples names and other notable events, can tell you, quite categorically, that David Meade is an unmitigated idiot.
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R. Giskard Reventlov wrote: that David Meade is an unmitigated idiot.
Wait!? What!? You mean I drained my bank accounts and binged on hookers and blow for... nothing?
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Well, not for nothing... 
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Now I know you're joking.
binged on hookers and blow + the missus == EOW for one Mike Mullikin. 
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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If he spent all his cash, it is EOW for the Missus as well.
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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Maybe, but her EOW would be A LOT less painful than his. 
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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"... so now I'm praying for the end of time..."
-- Meatloaf
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I just can't figure out why anyone would want to predict the end of the world.
Get it wrong and you look like a complete pilchard.
Get it right and you can't pick up your winnings from the bookie - worse still, you don't even get the chance to say "I told you so!"
It's a lose-lose scenario.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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David Meade is a blundering dunderheaded idiot.
What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?
The metaphorical solid rear-end expulsions have impacted the metaphorical motorized bladed rotating air movement mechanism.
Do questions with multiple question marks annoy you???
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54th? wow, congratulations)
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I grew up in a religious family and there was a guy at our church who claimed to understand all of the signs of the end times. I always found it funny that the scriptures say that even the angels in heaven and Jesus don't know the time or day, but some random guy has it all figured out!
Then again, maybe he's God and the joke is on us.
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