Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust case was sent to a new judge on Friday to weigh what sanctions to impose on the company, even as the company began releasing the latest version of the Windows software at the center of the legal battle. A federal appeals court sent the case back to the U.S. District Court, which randomly assigned the case to judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, appointed just four years ago by former President Bill Clinton. Kollar-Kotelly has the task of deciding what remedies are required to prevent any further abuse of Microsoft's monopoly in personal computer operating systems and whether the company violated the law simply by tying its Internet Explorer browser into the Windows operating system.

The case lands in Kollar-Kotelly's courtroom at a crucial time for Microsoft. The company on Friday released its new Windows XP operating system to major computer makers, a step toward its widespread retail release planned for Oct. 25. On hand to receive golden disks with the "gold code," or final version, of Windows XP were representatives from PC manufacturers like Dell Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. Shares of Microsoft on Friday closed up $2.93, or almost 5 percent, at $62.05, outperforming the 4 percent rise in the broad Nasdaq market, which was fueled by optimism that the battered tech sector may be stabilizing. The stock has shed about 15 percent in the past 30 days amid the sluggish economic outlook, but is up 50 percent from its year low of about $40.