Recent users of Windows 11 may be experiencing an unexpected nostalgia trip to 2007, as Microsoft has inadvertently substituted the boot sound of the operating system with the iconic startup chime from Windows Vista in its test versions.
Windows testers reported this unusual issue shortly after the release of the latest Dev Channel build on Friday. The boot sound file, found within imageres.dll, was unexpectedly swapped with the Windows Vista boot chime in preview build 26200.5651.
Microsoft promptly recognized the error, updating the release notes for the latest Dev Channel build with a humorous acknowledgment. According to the Windows Insider team, “This week’s flight comes with a delightful blast from the past and will play the Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound. We’re working on a fix.”
The cause of the mix-up remains unclear. However, Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider team humorously suggested on X that he “went in and had some fun with the sound files in Windows and thought folks needed a blast from the past.” He later clarified that it was merely a bug and not an intentional throwback.
In a coincidental twist, the timing of the mishap aligns with Microsoft’s recent commentary suggesting that Apple’s new Liquid Glass design bears similarities to the aesthetic found in Windows Media Center, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
