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Microsoft accidentally swapped Windows 11’s startup sound with Vista’s

Tom Warren

created: June 16, 2025, 9:25 a.m. | updated: June 16, 2025, 4:20 p.m.

Microsoft has mistakenly replaced Windows 11’s boot sound — in test versions of the OS — with the startup chime from Windows Vista. Windows testers started noticing the issue shortly after Microsoft released its latest Dev Channel build of Windows 11 on Friday afternoon. The .WAV file for the bootup sound, which is stored inside imageres.dll, had been randomly replaced with the Windows Vista startup sound in preview build 26200.5651. “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,” says the Windows Insider team. Perhaps one of Microsoft’s Windows engineers was reminiscing too much about Windows Vista, in a week when Microsoft made it clear it thinks Apple’s new Liquid Glass design bears some resemblance to its Aero Glass look in Windows Vista.

1 week, 6 days ago: The Verge