Microsoft says it has not yet declared Windows 7 final despite the fact that it is sitting in a lot of people's machines and appears to be stable. In a blog posting late Monday, Windows blogger Brandon LeBlanc said the company still expects to finalise the code later this month.

He said that when this happens Microsoft plans to make the code available to those in its MSDN and TechNet developer programs within a few weeks. Microsoft announced yesterday that businesses with volume license deals can get access to Windows 7 starting September 1.

Meanwhile, those who have pre-ordered the software or want to buy it on retail shelves or on a new PC will have to wait until its general availability on October 22. Meanwhile Microsoft has warned against users downloading Windows 7 code from the world wide wibble as some of the new “leaked” test versions have contained various types of malware.