A Windows bug-finding enthusiast has highlighted that the latest Insider Build in the Windows 11 Beta and Dev channels plays the Windows Vista startup sound as it boots to the desktop. However, Xeno's observation wasn’t of an intentional slice of nostalgia aimed at the long-suffering Insiders. Microsoft Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team, Brandon LeBlanc, admitted it was “an actual bug” after a bit of joking around.
The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build is 26200.5651 (Dev Channel) and the timing of its release coincides with Xeno’s initial Tweet. This OS preview was heralded as bringing features such as new Copilot+ PC experiences, a new Recall export function, a bigger clock/calendar in the notification center, and more.
If the Microsoft exec’s statement is correct, no one intended to change the default startup chime to the one used across the Windows Vista and Windows 7 eras. So the surprising retro refrain is an actual ‘known issue’ in the latest flight.
It's an actual bug.June 13, 2025
Joking aside
Other Twitter/X users jumped in on the initial post by Xeno that highlighted the incongruous startup sound. At one point LeBlanc joked that the ‘issue’ was precipitated after he “went in and had some fun with the sound files in Windows and thought folks needed a blast from the past.”
It was then suggested the Windows 95 startup sound would be a good choice for the impending 30th anniversary of its launch (August 24). But LeBlanc continued to make mirth, stating he couldn’t find that correct .WAV file for that OS release. With his official responsibility as a Microsoft exec in mind, LeBlanc must have felt it necessary to then make clear he was joking, and the startup sound mix-up was “an actual bug.”
Apple’s Vista?
The timing of the above Windows snafu is almost comical, with Apple under criticism for unintentionally (?) reviving the glassy Windows Aero aesthetic with its latest macOS 26 Tahoe release. This OS will be the final one to support the aging fleet of Intel Macs that are still in use.
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