Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7, is on course to break sales records following its launch today.

The online retailer Amazon said that it was the "biggest grossing pre-order product of all time", having overtaken the likes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Nintendo’s Wii.

Speaking at the launch of Windows 7 yesterday, Jeremy Fennell, Category Director at DSGi, which owns Dixons, Currys and PC World, said: "We have sold more copies of Windows 7 in three weeks on pre-order than Vista sold in its first year."

At midnight, queues could be seen outside stores as computers users got ready to upgrade their PCs to the new system as soon as possible.

The software is intended to replace Vista, considered by many in the industry to be a failure. Microsoft have said that the latest operating system will be faster and less cluttered than previous versions of Windows.

The world’s largest software company, which powers more than 90 percent of personal computers, has received good reviews for the new operating system, which it hopes will grab back the impetus in new technology from rivals Apple and Google.

“It’s the first really significant release of Windows in a decade,” said analyst Brendan Barnicle of Pacific Crest Securities. “Given the missteps around Vista, people really questioned Microsoft’s relevance in the technology space. So this is a critical first step for Microsoft regaining that credibility.”

The Home Premium version of the software will cost £79.99 until next year, when it will be priced at £99.99. The full version costs £149.99.

Retailers, such as DSGi, are also believed to be stocking up on USB-powered DVD drives for use with netbooks, since Windows 7 is supplied on DVDs and most netbooks do not have a built-in DVD drive.

Although the operating system is also available to purchase as a direct download, most users prefer to keep a physical copy. In the United States, Windows 7 is also being sold on a USB flash drive for netbook owners, but Microsoft declined to reveal whether we in the UK would be given the same option.

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