What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Yes. The Library of Congress selected Microsoft’s Windows 95 reboot/start-up chime and Daniel Rosenfeld’s Minecraft: Volume Alpha for the 2025 National Recording Registry. The Minecraft entry refers to that 2011 album compilation—not every piece of music ever released for Minecraft.
What the Library of Congress selected
The Library of Congress announced the 2025 National Recording Registry class on April 9, 2025. It contains 25 recordings judged to have cultural, historical or aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded-sound heritage.
![Minecraft Volume Alpha & Minecraft Volume Beta Complete Collection Coloured Vinyl Bundle [Vinyl]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EWx3Gf5jL._SL160_.jpg)
The registry operates under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. A recording must be at least 10 years old to qualify, so both the 1995 Windows sound and the 2011 Minecraft album meet the age requirement. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden described the selections as “the sounds of America — our wide-ranging history and culture.”
The Windows 95 reboot chime
What it is
The Windows entry is the brief Microsoft Windows 95 system sound heard at startup or reboot. It is not a complete Windows 95 soundtrack. The sound was commissioned by Microsoft and composed by Brian Eno, whose short piece gave the operating system a distinctive, childlike musical identity.
#1 Best Overall
- Genre: Soundtrack
- Number of Discs: 1
- Number of Tracks: 12
- Album Title: Minecraft Volume Alpha
- Music Artist/Band: C418
Why it became culturally recognizable
A startup sound is functional, but it also becomes part of a user’s memory of a device and an era. For many people, the chime marked the arrival of Windows 95 and the mainstreaming of personal-computer culture. Windows 98 later superseded it, making the Windows 95 sound a specific historical artifact rather than a continuing system-wide signature.
The Minecraft recording
Which album was preserved
The registry identifies the Minecraft recording as Minecraft: Volume Alpha, the 2011 album compiling music by German producer Daniel Rosenfeld, professionally known as C418. The selection does not amount to a blanket preservation of every Minecraft track or later soundtrack release.
Rank #2
Its role in the game
Rosenfeld’s music provides a soothing backdrop to Minecraft’s open-world environment. Because the game leaves players room to explore, build and create their own stories, the music often functions as an atmospheric memory cue. The Library of Congress emphasizes that connection to nostalgia when explaining the album’s significance.
How the two recordings compare
| Comparison | Windows 95 chime | Minecraft: Volume Alpha |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Brian Eno, for Microsoft | Daniel Rosenfeld, professionally known as C418 |
| Release year | 1995 | 2011 |
| Original function | Operating-system startup/reboot signature | Ambient music for Minecraft’s open-world game environment |
| Length and form | Brief system chime; the Library of Congress materials do not state a definitive runtime | Album-length soundtrack compilation |
| Cultural role | Evokes Windows-era computing and the arrival of a defining PC operating system | Shapes Minecraft’s musical identity and players’ memories of exploration and creation |
Why technology sounds belong in a national sound archive
The registry is not limited to conventional singles, albums or concert recordings. Its stated standard is broader: a sound can qualify because of the way it documents social history, technology, creative practice or shared memory.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Rank #3
- Lava Chicken Orange / White colored vinyl
The Windows chime represents a compact piece of commissioned electronic-era design that millions of computer users encountered. Minecraft: Volume Alpha represents a game soundtrack that became inseparable from a widely shared digital world. Their functions differ—one announces a machine, while the other accompanies an environment—but both demonstrate how recorded sound can define an experience beyond a traditional music venue.
What “inducted” means in this case
“Inducted” is common shorthand for being selected for the National Recording Registry. It does not mean that the Library of Congress has declared either work the best recording of its kind, nor does it imply that every related version is included.
Rank #4
- The Windows selection is the Windows 95 reboot/start-up chime, not a full Windows 95 audio catalog.
- The Minecraft selection is the 2011 Volume Alpha album identified by the registry, not all Minecraft music.
- Both are part of a 25-recording class chosen under the registry’s cultural, historical or aesthetic significance standard.
The direct answer
Microsoft’s Windows 95 chime and C418’s Minecraft: Volume Alpha are both official 2025 National Recording Registry selections. Brian Eno composed the former; Daniel Rosenfeld created the latter. Together they show that a short operating-system sound and an album-length game soundtrack can become nationally significant records of how Americans experienced technology.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches
