Microsoft released Windows 7 in 2009 as the follow-up to Windows Vista, and its short startup chime became one of the most recognised PC sounds of the era. The melody was carried over in spirit from Vista's sound scheme and heard daily in homes, offices and classrooms for years. As Windows 7 aged, remixes, bass-boosted edits and enhanced remasters circulated on YouTube and soundboards, keeping the chime alive for nostalgia edits, tech memes and retro computing videos long after support ended in 2020.