Microsoft Windows NT (pre-merge)

For other uses, see Microsoft Windows (disambiguation).

(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 Windows NT 3.5 builds 612 and 683, the logo was changed to a white flag with the Windows logo in it.

Technique: 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".

Variants:


 * On Build 756 of Windows NT 3.5, an early version exists where the Windows flag is in 2D and the logo is in a scribbly teal background, the Server version also used the Windows flag, which was changed to the infinity symbols after this build.
 * On computers running Windows NT 3.51, the background is a shady pale green, and the bottom now says "Times".
 * On Windows NT 4.0 Builds 1141-1327, the bottom was once again changed, now being "Version 4.0".
 * Starting in build 1166, a large gray "Beta" is seen in the left corner rotated vertically, in Beta 2 builds, this was changed to "Beta 2".

Technique: None.

Sounds:


 * Windows NT 3.5-4.0 Build 1264: Same as Windows 3.1.
 * Windows NT 4.0 Builds 1273-1327: The sounds from the next screen.

Availability: Very rare. Only on computers running on Windows NT Workstation 3.5 or 3.51, It was also seen on early Windows NT 4.0 builds and the unreleased Microsoft Cairo.

(June 21, 1996-July 11, 2006)
Workstation=

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.

Variants:


 * An early version exists in builds 1345-1353, Where it's almost the same as the final screen, But with a few differences.
 * A small "Version: 4.0" text is in place of "4.0" next to "Workstation"
 * The Windows logo has a trademark symbol (™) along with a drop shadow in addition to a glow effect. Only the latter is present in the final version.
 * The text "with Microsoft Internet Explorer" beneath "Workstation" is absent.
 * The registered trademark symbol (®) next to the Microsoft logo is barely visible compared to the final version.
 * Copyright notices are written in Arial font instead of Franklin Gothic.
 * Colors (particularly the Windows logo and upper part of the background) are slightly darker.
 * On Windows NT Embedded 4.0, There's a version where the logo is seen 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.".

Technique: None.

Sounds:
 * Startup: A "soaring" synth/uplifting piano sounder throughout, combined with synth chimes and a flourish at the end. Composed by Matthew Fenton.
 * 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 11, 1998)
Workstation=

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.

Technique: None.

Sounds:
 * Startup:
 * Builds 1515-1631: Same as Windows NT 4.0.
 * Builds 1671-1745: 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 Windows NT 5.0 builds from Builds 1515-1745.

2nd Screen (March 18-October 19, 1998)
Workstation=

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 (build 1773-1814): Same as the previous two screens, except with a larger "5.0".
 * Server (build 1848-1911): Same as the Workstation screen, but the square with the Windows logo is black and "Workstation" is swapped with "Server".

Variants: There are several versions of the screen.

Technique: Same as the next two.

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

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on computers running Windows NT 5.0 from builds 1773-1911.

1st Screen (December 13, 1998-April 26, 1999)
Screen:
 * Professional: Over a white background, we see the Windows flag from the next screen in the top-left corner (without the blue square behind) with other colored boxes in orange, green, and blue, with the blue square being a cloudy sky image. We see the same text from the next screen.
 * Server: We see multiple interlocked blue square outlines with the Windows logo seen off-center in one of them. Below is the text from the next Server screen, with "Built on NT technology".

Technique: 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. The normal version was seen on Builds 1946-1969 Windows 2000. The server version was used until Build 2031.

2nd Screen (February 18, 1999-September 13, 2005 [end of production], July 13, 2010 [discontinued])
Professional=

Codename (64-bit version only): "Janus"

Screen:
 * Professional: 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.
 * Server Family: On a white background, three beveled squares are layered over each other with the square in the front having a white fill with the Windows flag on the center of it. Below the squares are the words "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Family" arranged together, with the "Built on NT technology" text at the right. We see the typical progress bar below.

Variants: On early beta builds of Server Family, the text was shortened to just "Servers".

Technique: 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.

(December 10, 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

Variant: When Fast boot is enabled, The progress bar will be green (much like in Windows XP Home Edition) instead of the usual blue, Additionally, the blue animation bar does not move.

Technique: Same as before.

Sounds: Same as Windows 2000 and ME.

Availability: Rare, considering this version was never released.

1st Screen (August 10, 2000, September 10, 2000-February 6, 2001)
Screen:
 * Whistler: 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.
 * Whistler Server Family: Same as Windows 2000 Server Family, but the text is changed to "Microsoft Codename Whistler Server Family" and arranged differently without the "Built on NT technology" text.

Technique: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as Windows 2000, Neptune and ME.

Availability: The Whistler version was only seen on build 2257 of Windows XP. The Server Family version had a longer lifespan as it was used on builds from 2267 to 2433.

2nd Screen (August 25, 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.

Technique: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as the previous screen.

Availability: Seen on builds 2264-2416 of Windows XP.

3rd Screen (January 13-15, 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.

Technique: 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.

Technique: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds: Same as the last three screens.

Availability: Seen on builds 2428-2469 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:
 * On Builds 2474-2475 of XP, the progress bar is replaced with the words "loading..." slowly fading in and out, Also, a "version 2002" label is present, which was removed in build 2485.
 * 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..."
 * On Windows Home Server and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, The XP flag was replaced by a newer glossier version of the flag first seen in Windows Vista.

Technique: 2D graphics for the progress bar scrolling.

Sounds:
 * Original Version:
 * Startup:
 * Builds 2474-2475: Same as the last four screens.
 * Builds 2481-2600: 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:
 * Builds 2474-2475: Same as the last four screens.
 * Builds 2481-2600: 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-September 5, 2003)


Screen: Same as Windows XP, but the XP logo is replaced by a silver version of the Windows flag with the text "Microsoft Longhorn" on the right, the copyright notices and the Microsoft logo were removed as well.

Technique: Same as Windows XP.

Sounds: Same as Windows XP.

Sounds Trivia: There is a widespread 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 Longhorn builds 4011-4042 (main), which replaced the XP boot screen used in early Longhorn builds.

2nd Screen (September 9, 2003-August 19, 2004)


Screen: Same as the last screen, but the Longhorn logo is different, This time we see the colored Windows flag (carried from XP), with the text "Longhorn", and the text "Microsoft Windows Code Name" above it, The progress bar was recolored to orange.

Technique: Same as before.

Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Seen on Longhorn from builds 4042 (lab06)-4093, which were made before the reset, builds after the reset until 5048 used XP's boot screen with a updated copyright notice.

3rd Screen (April 25-August 19, 2004)
Screen: On a black background, We see a glossy and shiny progress bar which the color changes throughout the boot animation as it fades in, a copyright notice is seen below the progress bar, then the text changes to the following text.


 * "loading Windows Codename Longhorn".
 * "You're professional.".
 * "Intuitive.".
 * "Clean.".
 * "Approachable.".
 * "♡ Longhorn".

After the final text, the screen fades out.

Technique: CGI animation for the progress bar and the text changing.

Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Ultra rare, first added in Longhorn build 4074, but it was not enabled by default due to the need of LDMM drivers, trying to enable this boot screen will result in a black screen, no LDMM drivers were released for builds 4074-4093 but it can still be found in the files.

4th Screen (April 1, 2005-July 26, 2006)


Screen: Same as the 2nd screen, but the Longhorn logo once again has been changed, This time the logo is a white version of the Windows logo, with the text "Windows Code Name" above and "LONGHORN" on the bottom, The progress bar was recolored to gray like in Windows Server 2003, copyright text is seen in the bottom of the screen.

Later Variant: Starting in build 5308.6, The boot screen no longer displays both the Longhorn text and the white Windows flag, and the copyright text now says "Windows © 2006 Microsoft Corporation" in the Segoe UI font.

Technique: Same as the 2nd screen.

Sounds: Same as before, It later used the sounds from the next logo starting in build 5308.6.

Availability: Seen on post-reset Longhorn (later Windows Vista starting from build 5219) from builds 5048-5487.

5th 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.

Variant: An early version exists where the glow and the Windows flag are slightly different compared to the final.

Technique: Simple CGI animation.

Sounds: Sounds Trivia:
 * 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.


 * The system sounds, including the startup and shutdown sounds, were composed by Robert Fripp, the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band King Crimson.
 * The four notes in the startup represent each syllable in the name "Windows Vista".

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 (described above) is very similar to the previous one.

6th Screen (August 1, 2006-)


Screen: Same as the last few screens, but the progress bar was enhanced with sharper edges and the progress bar being green, "© Microsoft Corporation" is seen below the progress bar.

Variant: During the screen's first month, the copyright text was "Windows © 2006 Microsoft Corporation" much like the later version of the 4th screen.

Technique: Same as the 2nd screen.

Sounds: Same as the last screen.

Availability: Common. It was first used in Windows Vista as the main boot screen. Windows 7 replaced this screen early on in development, but it was still used in several Windows 7 versions such as Windows 7 Starter and Windows Server 2008 R2, as well as when the System Recovery Options menu is loaded. The screen still exists in Windows 8, 8.1, 10 and 11 and can be enabled via using a tweak.

7th Screen (November 8, 2006-April 10, 2012 [end of production], April 11, 2017 [discontinued])
Screen: On a black background, we see a green-blue aurora faintly showing (the same background shown during Windows Vista's setup). Underneath it is "Starting Windows Vista" in Consolas.

Later Variant: The aurora uses a different background (the same one used in the login screen in Windows Vista) and "Starting Windows Vista" is absent.

Technique: None.

Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Rare; this was not used as the main bootscreen (the last screen was used instead) in Windows Vista, but used as the "No GUI" boot screen. To enable it, open System Configuration Utility -> Boot -> No GUI Boot box, and then restart the system. The later variant was used in Service Packs 1 and 2 of Windows Vista.

8th Screen (October 2, 2007)


Screen: On a black background, We see a big dark blue stylized "7" with lines around it, at the center of the "7" is a light cyan Windows logo.

Technique: None.

Sounds: Same as Windows Vista.

Availability: It was only seen in Build 6469 of Windows 7, It is not the main bootscreen but rather the "No GUI" boot screen, which replaces the last screen in this build.

9th Screen (December 20, 2007-May 11, 2008)


Screen: On a green-blue aurora background (the same one as the later variant of the 7th screen), we see a white shine which acts like a progress bar, no Windows logos or copyright notices are seen.

Technique: 2D animation for the shining progress bar.

Sounds: Same as Windows Vista.

Availability: Seen on Builds 6519-6608 of Windows 7.

10th Screen (June 12, 2008)


Screen: On a different green-blue aurora background, we see the words "Starting Windows..." at the center of the screen.

Technique: 2D animation for the shining progress bar.

Sounds: Same as Windows Vista.

Availability: Only seen on Build 6730 of Windows 7.

11th Screen (August 29-October 23, 2008)
Screen: On a black background, we see the words "Starting Windows..." from before, then, a newer version of the Vista progress bar (Similar to the Longhorn 4074-4093 screen) but in blue, copyright notice is seen at the bottom.

Technique: Simple CGI animation.

Sounds: Same as Windows Vista.

Availability: Only seen on Build 6730 of Windows 7.

12th 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.

Technique: 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.

(March 30, 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 (builds 7973 (fbl_core1_kernel_npc)-8056): On a black background, we see a betta fish, with bubbles coming out of its mouth (in a static image, taken from the Windows 7 beta wallpaper). At the bottom of the screen, we see the word "Welcome". Then, we see dots going around in a circle.
 * Developer Preview (builds 8064-8195, 8277): Same as build 7973 (fbl_core1_kernel_npc), except the betta 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 (builds 8250-8331): Same as build 7973 (fbl_core1_kernel_npc), except the betta 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 (builds 8375-8441): Same as the Developer Preview, except this time "Developer Preview" is omitted.
 * Windows 8-10:
 * RTM (build 8513) 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.
 * Builds 9431-9466 (Windows 8.1): Same as build 8513, expect the Windows logo is replaced with a updated cartoony version of the betta fish.
 * Windows 11 and onward: Same as build 8513, 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 in Windows 10 Build 19587, the dots are replaced with a loading bar going around in a circle, this version wasn't enabled by default without a registry key, it would be enabled later in Windows 10X and Windows 11 2022 Update.

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.

Technique: 2D animation for the dots.

Sounds: Sounds Trivia: A unique startup sound was made for Windows 8, but was scrapped as a Microsoft executive complained it was waking up his newborn baby whenever he turned on his laptop.
 * 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.