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Microsoft will reach a major milestone on Friday, when the software giant is scheduled to hand over the final code for Windows XP to computer makers.

The handoff will take place at a brief ceremony at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters, an event that is expected to include aerial stunts--and likely a sigh of relief from Microsoft executives who have battled to push the product to market without a hitch.

Major PC makers including IBM and Dell Computer said they would take part in the 15-minute event, scheduled to begin at 8:45 a.m. PT.

Chair and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will be on hand to ceremonially hand over the final gold code for Windows XP to each of its major hardware partners.

Flying High

While PC makers wouldn't comment in detail on the antics planned for Friday, a Dell spokesperson says it made sure the representative it is sending to the event isn't prone to air sickness. Published reports have suggested the event will involve helicopters flying over Microsoft's headquarters.

Still, PC makers say they are more interested in getting their hands on the final code for the operating system than getting a bird's-eye view of Redmond.

"Regardless of what may or may not happen with the event, the main thing is that Windows XP is being delivered at a time that allows us to move to the market with our products," says Roger Frizzell, a spokesperson for Compaq Computer's desktop division.

Testing Time

Once PC makers have the final code, they will spend the next four to six weeks testing and debugging the software on their systems. Frizzell says Friday's handoff will give Compaq adequate time to begin offering Windows XP machines through its direct channels in September, and through retail outlets on the official October 25 launch date.

Bells and whistles aside, shipping the Release to Manufactures is a major accomplishment for the software maker, according to Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group.

"It can be big, and it can be very material," he says. "When they make this date they are almost ensured that the product will ship October 25."

Antitrust Troubles

The only thing likely to interfere with an on-time launch, analysts and legal experts have said, is the U.S. government, which is embroiled in a landmark antitrust battle with Microsoft. As early as Friday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is expected to select a new trial judge to lead the next phase of the case, which involves crafting new remedies to curb the anticompetitive behavior Microsoft has been found guilty of.

When the judge has been appointed, Microsoft's legal opponents could file for an injunction to stop Windows XP from being distributed. The Department of Justice and 18 states who are plaintiffs in the case have not commented on whether they plan to take such a step.

The release of the operating system may help resuscitate the ailing PC industry, which has sagged alongside the world economy and many technology stocks.

"It's one of the biggest things to hit the industry this year and to hit Compaq. A delay would have been devastating," Frizzell says. "The fact that Microsoft is moving forward--it's just critical."

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