2023 UPDATE Windows Startup and Shutdown Sounds (Windows 1.0 - 11)

After almost 3 years since my original Windows Startup and Shutdown Sounds video, an update is here! See how the Windows startup and shutdown sounds evolved over the years. Sit back and watch. Notes: - OEM versions (e.g. for Tuilip Computers) aren’t included, but OEM Service Releases of Windows 95 are included as they’re not specific to one OEM. - The Windows NT images are actually wallpapers titled: for early NT builds; for NT builds up to ; for NT - 5.0 (2000) build 1773. They’re used due to recognition. - Windows Server 2008 and later server versions are placed in the same orders as their respective client counterparts due to sharing most boot screens AND sounds (the startup sound is no longer actually functional even with Windows Audio service automatically started, but the sounds are included anyway since they’re intended to play). It’s also to avoid repetition. - Windows RT builds are merged with the Windows 8.x x86/x64 order, following BetaWiki practice. Why are most Windows Startup and Shutdown Sounds videos wrong: 1. Windows didn’t have any sounds until Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions (yes, this is the first version of Windows to support audio, not Windows 3.1). 2. Windows NT 5.0 (2000) Pre-Beta builds didn’t use the sounds introduced in build 1671, it uses the NT 4.0 sounds. 3. Windows NT 5.0 (2000) Beta 2 both use the NT 4.0 shutdown sound, not the Windows 2000 Beta 3 build 1946 - 1969 startup sound as shutdown. 4. Windows Millennium (Me) uses Windows 98 sounds until build 2476. Doesn’t use the startup or shutdown sound from Windows 2000 build 1983 - 2000. 5. Whistler uses Windows 2000 sounds until build 2481. Build 2481 added the sounds used in the RTM, but they weren’t set as default at that point. 6. The widespread sound claimed to be the startup sound for the UK-specific version of Windows Server 2003 is ripped from the promotional animation ( ) and there’s no evidence for such a version. It would be costly to produce a sound for only one country-specific version of a Windows version only intended for server use. No country-specific versions of Windows were known to exist until the N and KN editions for the EU and South Korea respectively (which both remove certain features due to antitrust lawsuits); the English (United Kingdom) language pack didn’t exist until Windows 8 (://). 7. The widespread sounds claimed to be from Longhorn are fake and never used in any available builds. They originated from Samsung Theme (). Longhorn (Windows Vista, both pre-reset and post-reset) used the Windows XP sounds, although late Beta 2 (most), RC, and builds leading up to uses the RTM logoff sound as a shutdown sound. 8. Windows 8, 8.1, and 10: - Both use the Vista/7 startup sound but are disabled by default. Check this video for how to enable the startup sound and more information: - “Exit Windows“ event is no longer actually functional even when unhidden using the registry. The reason is in this quote found: Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:15 Windows 1.0 0:37 Windows 2.x 0:53 Windows 3.0 1:14 Windows 1:56 Windows NT 3.1 2:22 Windows NT 2:45 Windows 95 ( Microsoft Plus!) 6:31 Microsoft Plus! for Kids 7:34 Windows Nashville (canceled) 7:42 Windows Cairo (canceled) 7:44 Windows NT 4.0 ( Resource Kit) 13:06 Windows 98 ( Microsoft Plus!) 25:13 Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) 31:20 Windows Neptune (canceled) 31:30 Windows Me (codenamed Millennium) 33:04 Windows XP (codenamed Whistler) Microsoft Plus! 36:04 Windows Server 2003 37:51 Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn) Ultimate Extras, & Server 2008 39:48 Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 40:30 Windows 8/Server 2012 41:43 Windows 8.1/Server 2012 R2 41:58 Windows 10/Server 2016 - 2022 42:12 Windows 11/Server vNext 42:19 Additional information outro Contribute to StomperYoshi (Ethan Chase)’s document about Windows startup and shutdown sounds: ━━━━ ➡️ Twitter: ➡️ Mastodon: @ThatRandomToast ➡️ Discord: LixiviteTRT#1281 ➡️ MeWe: ➡️ Matrix: ➡️ PayPal: