Microsoft Windows NT (pre-merge)

(October 12, 1992-October 5, 1994 [end of production], December 31, 2000 [discontinued])
Codename: "NT OS/2"

Screen: Same as Windows 3.1's startup, but the rectangle is light gray and the text is carved in the rectangle. "Times" is added next to "Times".

Variants:
 * On preliminary developer releases, "PRELIMINARY RELEASE FOR DEVELOPERS" is seen in an Army font, covering up "Version 3.1". The rectangle is also light gray.
 * Beta releases of Windows NT 3.1 contained the text "BETA -" (pretty much the same thing as "PRELIMINARY RELEASE FOR DEVELOPERS"). Following it would be the beta release month and year (OCTOBER 1992, MARCH 1993).
 * Server operating systems contained "Times" below the text.
 * On a beta version of Windows NT Advanced Server 3.5, the logo changed to a white flag with the Windows logo in it.

FX/SFX: None.

Sounds: Same as Windows 3.1.

Availability: Very rare. Only on computers running on Windows NT 3.1.

(August 1, 1994-December 31, 2001)
Workstation=

Screen:
 * Workstation: On a white background, we see the flag logo in CGI. Underneath, in a narrow serif font, is "Times". At the bottom is written, in the same font, "Times".
 * Server: On the same background, we see repeated copies of the infinity symbol is black. Underneath is the same text from before, except the text reads "Times New Roman" instead of "WORKSTATION".

Variant: On computers running Windows NT 3.51, the background is a shady pale green, and the bottom now says "Times".

FX/SFX: None.

Sounds: Same as Windows 3.1.

Availability: Very rare. Only on computers running on Windows NT Workstation 3.5 or 3.51.

(June 21, 1996-July 11, 2006)
Screen:
 * Workstation: Just the Windows logo with the first panel being red- with the text "Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Microsoft Internet Explorer" below it on a star-to-sky gradient background, with the sky half resembling the Windows 95 background. On the upper-right corner of the screen, we see the text "Copyright 1985-1996 Microsoft Corporation" under the then-current Microsoft logo. Below is the text "This product is protected by US and International copyright laws as described in the About Box.".
 * Server: On a white background, we see the infinity symbol from the previous logo on the top left, and the same text from before on the bottom right, except the text reads "Server", and we see a transparent infinity symbol.

Variant: There's a version where without the text "with Microsoft Internet Explorer" and "Embedded" replaces "Workstation". Below is the text "The product is protected by US and International copyright laws as appropriate.".

FX/SFX: None.

Sounds:
 * Startup: A "soaring" synth/uplifting piano sounder throughout, combined with synth chimes and a flourish at the end.
 * Shutdown: Same as the startup sound, but in reverse.

Availability: Rare. Seen on computers running Windows NT 4.0, which was not a popular version of Windows.

1st Screen (March 17, 1997-Febraury 4, 1998)
Screen:
 * Workstation: Similar to the NT 4.0 screen, with some differences. The Windows flag logo is positioned further to the left, the "Windows NT Workstation" text is now gray and placed near the top-right, with the Microsoft logo and copyright information below it. Below the text and Microsoft copyright there is the large "5.0", in semi-transparent white. The surrounding outline is now changed to the shape of a square passing behind the middle of the Windows flag and the right end of the "5.0" text. At the left of the outline, the "This product is protected by US and International copyright laws as described in the About Box." text is shown in blue within a four-line paragraph.
 * Server: Same as the previous screen, except the text now reads "5.0"

Variants: Several versions of the screen exist.

FX/SFX: None.

Sounds:
 * Startup: On the pre-beta, same as the last screen. Starting with beta 1, a rising note reminiscent of the THX Deep Note, followed by an arpeggio of sci-fi sounding beeps.
 * Shutdown: Same as the NT 4.0 shutdown for both beta versions.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on computers running early beta builds of Windows NT 5.0.

2nd Screen (March 18, 1998-October 19, 1998)
Screen:
 * Workstation: On a white background, we see the Windows flag logo inside a blue box, and we see some blue boxes next to it. We see the same text from the previous 4.0 screen, except the text reads "5.0", which is larger.
 * Server: Same as the previous two screens, except with a larger "5.0".

Variants: There are several versions of the screen.

FX/SFX: Same as the next two.

Sounds: The post-beta startup and shutdown sounds of the last screen.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on computers running later beta builds of Windows NT 5.0.

1st Screen (December 13, 1998-January 29, 1999)
Screen: Same as the last screen, except we see the Windows flag from the next screen with colored boxes. We see the same text from the next screen.

FX/SFX: Same as the next one.

Sounds:
 * Startup: A shortened, sped-up and higher-pitched version of the post-Beta Windows NT 5.0 startup, with a synth choir pad.
 * Shutdown: A low-pitched, unidentifiable noise, sounding like wind blowing with digital effects.

Availability: Extremely rare. It was seen on the Beta 3 builds of Windows 2000.

2nd Screen (February 18, 1999-September 13, 2005 [end of production], July 13, 2010 [discontinued])
Codename (64-bit version only): "Janus"

Screen: On a white background, four squares are layered over each other in the same panel colors (red-,, , and yellow). On top of the top square is the then-current Windows flag logo. Below the squares are the words "Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional", arranged much like the fourth and fifth screens, with "Professional" on the bottom. Below this is the text "Built on NT Technology." At the top-right corner of the screen is the then-current Microsoft logo. At the very bottom of the screen, there is a gray bar, with the words "Starting up..." and a progress-style bar, and beneath that is a copyright notice.

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds:
 * Startup: A piano arpeggio, followed by some string tones.
 * Shutdown: A string theme based off the startup sound.

Sounds Variant: During the earlier beta builds (1983-2000.3) featuring this screen, a different arrangement of the sounds was used.

Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on computers that run Windows 2000.

Background
Neptune was planned to be the first version of Windows NT for home use until the project was merged with the Odyssey (planned professional release) project to form Whistler.

(1999)
Screen: Essentially the same as before, but instead of the Windows 2000 logo, we see the left trails of the Windows flag with a gradient effect. To the right of it is "Microsoft Neptune" arranged like before, in gray. Below it is "under construction" also in grey

FX/SFX: Same as before.

Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Rare, considering this version was never released.

1st Screen (August 10-25, 2000)
Screen: Same as Windows 2000. But instead of the Windows 2000 wordmark, it now reads as "Microsoft Codename Whistler". Arranged like before, with "Codename" being in light gray.

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as Windows 2000, Neptune and ME.

Availability: Seen on build 2257 and 2264 of Windows XP.

2nd Screen (September 9, 2000-January 4, 2001)
Screen: We see the then-current Windows flag, but with a white outline instead of black. Below it is the same wordmark as below, but in white, and the word "Codename" in dark grey. Below all this, there is a progress bar, which consists of a dotted line, with some dots glowing white, scrolling from left to right.

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as the previous screen.

Availability: Seen on builds 2267-2416 of Windows XP.

3rd Screen (January 15, 2001)
Screen: We see the same wordmark from before, but behind it to the left is the Windows flag, this time in dark gray, and without its colors. Below the wordmark is a progress bar, which consists of four rectangle lines, each one bearing one of the windows colors, lighting up one by one.

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as the last two screens.

Availability: Only seen on build 2419 of Windows XP

4th Screen (January 29-May 8, 2001)
Screen: Essentially the same as Build 2267, but the wordmark is now much more in line with the final Windows XP wordmark, with the word "Codename" now being grey, the progress bar being the same as Build 2419, and the Windows flag now bearing its new modernized design, (designed by Casey Potter Design, which by then had been finally completed after a bunch of prototypes were made,) but in white. At the bottom of the screen is the text "Beta 2 Release" which is above the copyright info, with it, along with the Microsoft logo in the upper-right-hand corner, being in gray.

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds:


 * Before build 2481: Same as the last four screens.
 * Build 2481-2542: The sounds from the next screen.

Availability: Seen on builds 2428-2542 of Windows XP.

5th Screen (May 8, 2001-April 14, 2009 [end of production], April 8, 2014 [discontinued])
Screens: On a black background, the then-current Windows flag logo (which has been redesigned to have only the colored "panels" the first panel might be red- or ), along with the text below:

Microsoft Windowsxp

fading in. Below that is a progress bar (a la Windows 2000). In the bottom-left corner is a copyright notice, and on the bottom-right is the then-current Microsoft logo.

Variants:
 * Prior to Service Pack 2 of XP, the edition name would appear on the bottom of the XP wordmark (on the Home Edition however, the progress bar would appear ).
 * On computers running the 64-bit version of Windows XP, either the word "64-Bit Edition" (for the Itanium version) or "x64 Edition" (for the AMD64 version) is added under the XP logo.
 * On Windows Server 2003, the name was changed to its appropriate title. The progress bar is.
 * When Windows XP is first installed, the normal logo is seen with the progress bar replaced with the words "Please wait..."

FX/SFX: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds:
 * Original Version:
 * Startup: A six-note piano tune with a rising string section at the end. Composed and conducted by Bill Brown and performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
 * Shutdown: A four-note piano tune with similar strings, based off the startup sound.
 * Microsoft Plus! Sounds:
 * Default:
 * Startup: Same as original.
 * Shutdown: Same as original.
 * Aquarium:
 * Startup: An ascending xylophone/synth tune, with a synth note held in.
 * Shutdown: Water sounds and clicking.
 * Da Vinci:
 * Startup: A 3-note harp tune.
 * Shutdown: A 5-note harpsichord tune.
 * Nature:
 * Startup: Bugs, with a bird chirping.
 * Shutdown: Crickets chirping and a wolf howling.
 * Space:
 * Startup: A 3-note trumpet theme, followed by a deep bass synth note. May remind some of "2001: A Space Odyssey".
 * Shutdown: Melodic electronic warbling.

Availability: Uncommon, due to the fact that until August 2012, Windows XP was the most commonly used operating system. Support ended in April 2014. Also seen in Windows Server 2003 and the last few Windows Whistler betas. It can still be seen on computers running Windows Embedded 2009, as a small few kiosks in retail stores and banks still contain the OS. Support for the embedded OS was fully discontinued on April 9, 2019.

1st Screen (March 5, 2003-December 18, 2005)
Screens: There are three versions of the screen:
 * On a black background, we see a silver version of the Windows flag with the text "Microsoft Longhorn" on the right. The progress bar appears below the logo.
 * On a black background, we see the colored Windows flag, with the text "Longhorn", and the text "Microsoft Windows Code Name" above it. The progress bar appears below the logo.
 * On a black background, we see the white version of the Windows logo, with the text "Windows Code Name" above and "LONGHORN" on the bottom. The progress bar appears below the logo.

FX/SFX: Same as Windows XP.

Sounds: Same as Windows XP.

Sounds Trivia: There is a very common myth that Longhorn allegedly used a different system sound scheme than XP. While pleasant to hear, no build of Longhorn has ever used these, instead using the XP (and in some later builds, Vista) sounds. The earliest known source of these sounds is from a theme for Windows XP produced by Samsung.

Availability: Seen on any Longhorn build from the era.

2nd Screen (February 2, 2006-April 10, 2012 [end of production], April 11, 2017 [discontinued])
Screen: On a black background, a light blue orb with the then-current Windows flag logo with the first panel being orange quickly fades in. Then, the edges of the "panes" begin to glow, until the glow reaches outside of the orb and stops at corners, forming a square shape.

FX/SFX: Simple CGI animation.

Sounds: Sounds Trivia: The system sounds, including the startup and shutdown sounds, were composed by Robert Fripp, the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band King Crimson.
 * Before build 5840.16389: Same as Windows XP.
 * Shutdown (build 5469-build 5840.16384): A two-note synth chime theme, which will go on to be the logoff sound in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.
 * Startup: Four high pitched synth chimes, followed by a mellow synth pad.
 * Shutdown: A synth chime note.

Availability: Rare, due to Windows Vista rapidly losing usage following the release of Windows 7, as well as it not being used as much as other versions of Windows to begin with. This precedes the logon screen, as the actual boot screen is very similar to the previous one.

3rd Screen (November 2, 2008-July 1, 2011 [end of production], January 14, 2020 [discontinued]
Screen: On a black background, we see the words "Starting Windows" and a copyright notice. Suddenly, four colored orbs appear and move around a bit until they form the "panels" of the then-current Windows logo. The edges of the panels glow for a little bit.

Variants:
 * If the computer is resuming from a previous session, the text will say "Resuming Windows".
 * When a system running Windows 7 in the middle of an update, after a few seconds "Starting Windows" changes to "Applying update operation of  (filename.filetype)", wherein  is the number of the active update, whereas  is the total amount of updates to the system.

FX/SFX: CGI animation.

Sounds: Same as Windows Vista.

Availability: Common. As with Windows XP, some public machines still run this version of Windows.

Background
Windows 8 introduced a major overhaul in the desktop UI, including completely revamping the Start menu. In 2021, Windows 11 introduced another major overhaul in the desktop UI, including completely revamping the Start menu.

(April 22, 2011- )
Codenames:
 * Windows 8.1: "Blue"
 * Windows Server 2012: "8 Server"
 * Windows 10: "Threshold", "Redstone"
 * Windows 10X: "Santorini", "Windows Lite"
 * Windows 11: "Sun Valley"

Screen:
 * Milestone 3 (build 7989): On a black background, we see a beta fish, with bubbles coming out of its mouth (in a static image). At the bottom of the screen, we see the word "Welcome". Then, we see dots going around in a circle.
 * Developer Preview (build 8102): Same as build 7989, except the beta fish is replaced with the words "Windows Developer Preview", in white. The trademark symbol, an "R" enclosed inside a circle, is seen next to the word "Windows". The word "Welcome" is also omitted.
 * Consumer Preview (build 8250): Same as build 7989, except the beta fish is rendered in a flat bitmap file, itself rendered inside a blue square. Inside the square is a barely-legible "8", resembling Windows 8. The word "Welcome" is also omitted.
 * Release Preview (build 8400): Same as the Developer Preview, except this time "Developer Preview" is omitted.
 * Windows 8-10:
 * RTM (build 8888) and onward: Same as the Release Preview, except the text is replaced with the current Windows logo (consisted of a simple window tilted to the left), colored light-blue.
 * build 9431 (Windows 8.1): TBA.
 * Windows 11 and onward: Same as build 8888, except the Windows logo is replaced with the Microsoft squares, in dark blue (bearing a resemblance to the Microsoft logo or the front-facing Windows flag, consists of a simple window tilted to the front).

Variants:
 * On some computers, the computer manufacturer's logo (i.e. MSI, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard etc.) replaces the Windows logo.
 * On the Surface Studio all-in-one desktop, the background is colored dark grey.
 * Starting with the Sun Valley 2 (22H2) Update of Windows 11, the dots are replaced with a loading bar going around in a circle as previously seen in Windows 10X.

Trivias:
 * The 2012 Windows logo (starting with the RTM (build 8888) and onward) was unveiled in February 2012 and was created by Wolff Olins and Pentagram.
 * The 2021 Windows logo is very similar to the Windows 95 commercials from the mid-1990s, the Microsoft Store logo from 2009, and Microsoft's 2012 logo, but retains the color of Windows 10's logo.

FX/SFX: 2D animation for the dots.

Sounds:
 * Startup:
 * Windows 8-10: None by default, though when enabled it's the same as Windows Vista and Windows 7.
 * Windows 11: A 3-note theme.
 * Shutdown: None.

Availability: Very common. Can be found on any computer running Windows 8, 8.1, 10, or 11.