The official release date for Windows 7 is 22nd October 2009, there are, however, many businesses already using Microsoft’s latest operating system as these became available through volume licenses.

Microsoft has issued a record number of 13 bulletins for 34 vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of each month, the day on which Microsoft releases security patches), and the first critical update for Windows 7, along with fixes for zero-day flaws for Server Message Block (SMB) and Internet Information Services (IIS).

Other critical patches in the October security bulletin fix a vulnerability in Windows Media Runtime, the fix stops users from potential damage caused by opening malicious media files or from receiving malicious streaming content from either a Web site or an application.

When buying Windows 7 you will find 3 mainstream editions, but Windows 7 actually come in 6 Editions:

• Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

The main 3 which you are most likely to find in the shops are:

• Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate

Prices for the 3 main editions are as follows:

• Home Premium
  • Upgrade - £79.99
  • Full - £149.99

• Professional
  • Upgrade - £189.99
  • Full - £219.99

• Ultimate
  • Upgrade - £199.99
  • Full - £229.99