A month after a record-setting batch of updates, the November ‘Patch Tuesday’ package will contain just six updates. Of those, at least three appear to be revisions or repetition of updates from the October release.

Microsoft has announced another 800 job cuts. The cuts appear to be across the board rather than through specific departments being axed.

Worms are the quickest growing security problem for Windows PCs this year according to Microsoft. It comes as “drive-by downloads” and adware become less of a problem.

Microsoft has found a solution to a problem which caused some Windows 7 upgrades to freeze up before completion. But the firm has yet to solve a separate problem where machines are caught in a reboot cycle.

One of the leading players in the Linux world has described Windows 7 as “excellent”. But some of Mark Shuttleworth’s other comments are a perfect example of the phrase “damning with faint praise.”

The advance hype is over and Windows 7 is now out in finished form (well, as finished as constantly updated software can be). Should you upgrade? That’s a question only you can answer, but we’ve got some tips and suggestions to help make that decision.

Windows 7’s launch was serious business for Microsoft. But that’s not stopped plenty of people finding more lighthearted ways to “celebrate” the release of the system.

Windows 7 is finally here. What that means depends entirely on your perspective. Here’s our take on the impact Windows 7’s debut and potential success or failure could have on every corner of the tech world.

The British Amazon site says Windows 7 has become its most pre-ordered item ever, beating out the final Harry Potter book. It comes as some British buyers report receiving the system early in an apparent attempt to beat a postal strike.

If you are upgrading to Windows 7 from XP, or if you are upgrading from Vista but changing editions (for example Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate rather than Windows 7 Home Premium), you will need to carry out a clean install. Unless you are going to partition your drive, this will mean reformatting your hard drive and wiping out all the data on it. Here are some pointers to minimize the hassle this causes.

Corporate sales of Windows 7 could get off to a good start if businesses follow the advice of a leading analyst firm. Gartner has suggested companies should skip the common policy of avoiding a new operating system until its first service pack.

With 13 patches for a total of 34 problems, it’s a whopper of a Windows Update this month. However, security experts are warning that some fixes should take priority over others.

Touch technology is one of the main selling points of Windows 7, but it had been questionable how widely it would actually be used. It appears that touch will at least stand a chance of catching on with the announcement that HP is releasing a range of machines based on the feature.

What’s the first thing you are going to do with your new Windows 7 machine? The correct answer is to patch it immediately.

Peace between Microsoft and the European Union looks a step closer today after EU officials said they would likely be satisfied with the firm’s proposals for settling the Internet Explorer bundling row. The woman in charge of EU competition policy agreed to test plans to offer Windows users a choice of browsers.

Speaking at a press conference today, Neelie Kroes said Microsoft had tweaked its proposals for a “ballot screen” after discussions with officials. Under the revised system, people setting up Windows for the first time will see a screen explaining what a web browser is. They’ll then see a list of browsers to choose between, each with a “Tell me more” button linking to more details about that particular browser.