Windows Millennium Edition, usually shortened to Windows ME, was released by Microsoft in 2000 as the last Windows 9x home release before Windows XP. Its startup sound was part of a family of short system cues designed to feel friendly and modern for home users. Clips of it spread through forums, YouTube retrospectives and soundboards as nostalgia for that era grew, often paired with the error sound in memes about crashing PCs. It remains popular because ME is remembered as quirky and unstable, making the cheerful chime an ironic shorthand.