Taxes on Earnings (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	$ 10,223,000,000	$ 9,057,000,000	$ 8,800,000,000
Valuation allowances on deferred tax assets	1,300,000,000
Valuation allowances on other U.S. deferred tax assets	317,000,000
Valuation allowances on foreign deferred tax assets	669,000,000
Deferred tax assets for various tax credit carryforwards	3,900,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, foreign	2,900,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, alternative minimum tax	23,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, research and development	566,000,000
Tax credit carryforwards, various states and foreign countries	417,000,000
Decreases in foreign valuation allowances attributable to currency translation	1,100,000,000
Increase in valuation allowances	1,100,000,000	307,000,000	77,000,000
Increase in valuation allowance associated with federal capital loss carryovers or internal restructuring transactions			106,000,000
Decrease in valuation allowance due to various net operating losses and tax credits			29,000,000
Tax benefit (deficit) from the exercise of employee stock options and other employee stock programs	(175,000,000)	128,000,000	300,000,000
Foreign
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowances on deferred tax assets	297,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to federal and state net operating losses
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	166,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to capital loss carryforwards
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	104,000,000
Deferred tax assets related to foreign net operating loss carryforwards
Valuation Allowance
Valuation allowance	7,600,000,000
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	$ 209,000,000