Taxes on Earnings (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010	Oct. 31, 2009
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	$ 9,057,000,000	$ 8,755,000,000	$ 8,700,000,000
Deferred tax assets for various tax credit carryforwards	2,700,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, foreign	1,900,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, alternative minimum tax	25,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, research and development	517,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, various states and foreign countries	331,000,000
Increase in valuation allowance	307,000,000	77,000,000	6,900,000,000
Increase in valuation allowance associated with federal capital loss carryovers or internal restructuring transactions		106,000,000	7,000,000,000
Decrease in valuation allowance due to various net operating losses and tax credits		29,000,000	100,000,000
Excess tax benefits from exercise of employee stock options and other employee stock programs	128,000,000	300,000,000	163,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to federal and state net operating losses
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	132,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to capital loss carryforwards
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	106,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to foreign net operating loss carryforwards
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	8,500,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to foreign tax credit carryforwards
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	47,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to tax credit carryforwards, states and foreign countries
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	$ 197,000,000