Windows Millennium Edition, usually shortened to Windows ME, was released by Microsoft in 2000 as the home-focused successor in the Windows 9x line. Its startup sound became one of the many distinctive boot chimes that marked the era before silent, instant-on devices. As retro computing videos, emulators and nostalgia accounts grew online, clips of old systems powering on were shared widely, and the ME chime resurfaced alongside sounds from Windows 95, 98 and XP. It remains popular as a quick audio shorthand for that specific period of personal computing.
Über diesen Sound
The Windows Millennium Edition startup chime from the classic PC boot sequence, reused in retro tech edits, nostalgia posts and old computer memes.
This is the short startup chime that played when a computer booted into Windows Millennium Edition, a bright electronic flourish that signals the system is ready. The melody rises quickly with a clean, optimistic tone typical of turn-of-the-millennium PC sounds, instantly marking the moment as retro. Hearing it triggers strong nostalgia for early home computing, dial-up era desktops and school computer rooms. Creators use that instant recognition to set a scene in the past, punctuate a reboot joke, or contrast old technology with modern devices, without needing any visual explanation for the audience at all.
