If your PC recently made you feel like it’s 2007 again, you’re not imagining things. In a funny mix-up, Microsoft accidentally brought back the iconic Windows Vista startup chime in the latest test version of Windows 11.
Right after the newest Windows 11 Dev Channel update was released on Friday, users started noticing something odd: the familiar chime from Vista was suddenly playing at startup. Turns out, the system file responsible for the boot sound, imageres.dll, had the old .WAV file from Vista instead of the usual Windows 11 tone in preview build 26200.5651.
Microsoft quickly confirmed the glitch, writing in the release notes that this update “comes with a delightful blast from the past.” The Windows Insider team reassured users that they’re working on a fix.
As for how this happened? It’s still a mystery. One team member, Brandon LeBlanc, jokingly tweeted that he just “had some fun” with the sound files but then admitted it was simply a bug.
Ironically, this little nostalgia moment comes the same week Microsoft pointed out that Apple’s new Liquid Glass design looks a bit like Vista’s old Aero Glass. Maybe Vista’s influence is stronger than we thought.