30 years since the launch of Windows 95, the 90s still has some of the best sonic branding

Windows 95 startup screen, a window with swooshes coming out of it.

If you remember the 90s, you can probably hear it. The CRT wakes to a soft glow, static humming in the glass. You nudge the ball mouse, tap the Enter key for that dull, satisfying click, drum your fingers on a chunky beige keyboard while the BIOS text flickers by and the Windows logo blooms.

Then it arrives, a few seconds of music that opened the day. The Windows 95 startup sound was more than an auditory cue; it was emotion and memory encoded as identity, etched in the hearts and minds of a generation of users.