Windows Vista was released by Microsoft in January 2007 as the successor to Windows XP, and its default sound scheme used short, polished chimes for starting up and shutting down. This shutdown clip was heard by millions of PC owners at the end of everyday sessions, so it became tied to that era of computing. As Vista grew older, the sound resurfaced in nostalgia videos, operating system comparisons, and meme edits online, where its brief, final tone is now instantly understood as a computer powering off for good.