Windows 7 pre-orders sell out in the UK in less than 9 hours

Microsoft servers melted and Amazon quickly sold out of its pre-order allocation of discounted Windows 7 Home Premium copies this morning in the UK.

Customers eager to take advantage of heavily discounted pricing on Windows 7 overloaded Microsoft’s own European store this morning, frustrating customers desperate to buy their copies at more than half off the suggested retail price.

Visitors to the Microsoft EMEA store were greeted with the following site down message:

Microsoft Store is currently experiencing a problem. We are working on a solution, so please check back with us later. Thank you for your patience.

Online retail giant Amazon sold out its entire allocation of pre-orders for the Home Premium version of Windows 7 in less than nine hours. The e-tailer took an extra £5 off the price Microsoft recommended for pre-orders, charging £44.99 per copy, and was quickly swamped with orders from 12:30am through to 09:20am when customers were prevented from placing further orders.

Microsoft also sold out its Windows 7 pre-order allocation in Japan in similar fashion when they went on sale in the territory earlier last month.

These impressive pre-order sales demonstrate how satisfied customers have been with the pre-release versions of Windows 7. Microsoft is seemingly on course to regain a lot of the mind share it lost through the entire Vista debacle, and MSFT shareholders should be licking their lips in expectation of things to come.