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Windows 98 launched in 1998 as Microsoft's successor to Windows 95, and its startup and shutdown sounds became part of daily life for millions of home computer users. The short orchestral chimes were designed to feel welcoming rather than technical, a deliberate shift in how software sounded. As those machines aged out, the sounds lived on through nostalgia compilations, vaporwave tracks and retro tech memes, where they instantly signal the late nineties. They sit alongside the Windows error chime in the shared memory of a generation that learned computing on beige boxes.
About this sound
The iconic Windows 98 startup and shutdown chimes from Microsoft's 1998 operating system. Creators use it for retro memes, nostalgia edits and old PC jokes.
This clip plays the two most recognizable sounds of Windows 98 back to back: the bright, swelling startup chime that greeted users as the desktop loaded, and the soft descending shutdown jingle that closed the session. Together they run just over nine seconds, moving from an optimistic orchestral swell to a gentle, almost lullaby-like sign-off. Hearing them triggers an instant wave of late-nineties nostalgia for anyone who grew up with beige CRT monitors and dial-up internet. The contrast between the hopeful boot-up and the sleepy power-down makes the pair feel like a tiny story about an era of computing.
