The Windows XP Welcome Music, also known as "title.wma," is an iconic piece of music that evokes nostalgia for many people. The song was composed by Stan LePard in 1996 and was first used in the Microsoft Internet Explorer Starter Kit. It later appeared in other Microsoft products, including Encarta Virtual Globe and Windows XP. The song's creator was unknown for many years, with some attributing it to Bill Brown or Brian Eno, but it wasn't until 2011 that Stan LePard revealed himself as the composer. The song has become one of the most recognizable and widely heard pieces of music, with millions of views on YouTube, despite never being sold or made available for purchase.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The Windows XP Welcome Music was composed by Stan LePard in 1996.
2. The song was originally used in the Internet Explorer Starter Kit in 1996.
3. The song was later used in Microsoft Encarta Virtual Globe in 1998.
4. The song was not created specifically for Windows XP.
5. The song was added to Windows XP at the last minute.
6. The song's file name is "title.wma" and it is stored in the C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images folder.
7. The song is 2.5 MB in size and has a runtime of almost 5 and a half minutes.
8. The song's metadata does not identify the author, year of creation, or official title.
9. Bill Brown composed music for Windows XP, but not the Welcome Music.
10. Brian Eno composed Windows 95's startup sound, but not the Windows XP Welcome Music.
11. The Australian pop duo Savage Garden's song "A Thousand Words" has a similar melody to the Windows XP Welcome Music, but they did not compose the song.
12. Stan LePard uploaded the song to SoundCloud in 2011, revealing his identity as the composer.
13. Stan LePard created a 2020 remix version of the song and replaced the original audio file on SoundCloud.
14. Stan LePard composed music for other Microsoft products, including Encarta Virtual Globe and Microsoft Flight Simulator, as well as video games such as Halo 3 and Plants vs Zombies.
15. Windows XP was released in the fall of 2001.
16. The song has been uploaded to YouTube and has accumulated millions of views across multiple videos.