Here is a summary of the situation as described in your sourced article:
- In the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898, users began hearing the old Windows Vista startup sound instead of the regular Windows 11 sound.
- This caused surprise and some speculation among users, with many feeling nostalgic due to the iconic Vista sound, which was originally composed by Robert Fripp, a musician known for his work with the band King Crimson.
- Microsoft quickly clarified that the reappearance of the Vista sound was a bug—not an intentional throwback or feature. Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider Team confirmed this on social media.
- The bug, reintroduced after a recent patch day, was listed among known issues by Microsoft and is expected to be fixed in a future Insider Build.
- For fans of the Vista startup sound, it's possible to manually set it as the startup sound using the original WAV file and tweaking Windows sound settings or the registry.
- The Vista startup sound in Windows 11 was not intentional; it was a bug.
- Microsoft is aware and is planning a fix in an upcoming build.
- Users can manually apply the Vista sound if they wish, but it's not an official feature of Windows 11.
Source: Research Snipers Microsoft Confirms Vista Start Sound in Windows 11 Was Just a Bug – Research Snipers