Run multiple versions of IE

Instead of having to run multiple computers to get different browser versions, you can now only need one computer to run IE versions simultaneously.

Network Administration - If you are designing or executing a web application on the network, you will want to test it with different versions of IE. This is really necessary with the big changes happening in rendering engines of IE7 and IE8. But there is a problem that many of you know that Microsoft does not allow you to install multiple versions of IE on the same computer.

There are many ways to overcome this problem. You can use standalone versions of IE. There are several versions of IE that can be changed to be installed with either standalone or official settings. Instead of having to run multiple computers to get different browser versions, you can now only need one computer to run IE versions simultaneously. You can even run versions of IE up to 15 years old that first appeared in August 1995.

In addition to standalone versions, there are test browsers to compete with different versions of IE and the rest of the web browsers. This makes it more convenient because it is all in one application. Another way to test websites or applications is to use online services to provide display screens of the given URLs in different browsers on different operating systems.

First thing to do

It should be noted that independent versions of IE are not official versions and are not released by Microsoft. Before downloading them, it is best to create a new system restore point. With this method, if during the installation cause unexpected problems, you can still return to the state of your previous system.

To summon System Restore in Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, click Start> All Programs> Accessories> System Tools> System Restore.

IE Collection (IE Collection)

There are many software packages for independent versions of IE, such as Edskes Software's Internet Explorer Collection. Its current release at this time includes many versions, from IE1 to IE8 and some other versions. This collection is supported on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

The IE browser package also has the Developer Toolbar. It will help you validate CSS and HTML, preview pages at different resolutions and perform other tests. These features have been built into IE8, in this version they are called Developer Tools.

When installing the IE Collection, you can choose exactly which version you need to install. If you encounter any problems or have any questions about the collection, review the question and answer section for more details. If you want to see what they've been added over the past few years, check the change log.

IETester browser

IETester is a popular browser used to evaluate other IE versions. It can simulate IE 5.5 to IE 8 on Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 operating systems. At this time, the browser is still in alpha release but very useful for simple sites or applications.

IETester even supports the new ribbon interface, instead of its old toolbar. You can easily invoke windows for each version. In addition, you can launch tabs containing different versions to get the best view.

BrowserShots service

If you need to test on other browsers, go to the BrowserShots service. Although not a real browser, this service can help you see how your site or application will look in many browsers. Type in a URL, select the desired browser and click Submit . The service will return a screen that shows the appearance of the page in each browser.

There are over 80 supported web browsers. 28 for Linux from Dillo to Shiretoko, 25 for Windows from Avant and Chrome to Safari and SeaMonkey and some other browsers supported for the BSD operating system.

After you submit the URL, the screen displays for some browsers and operating systems will appear quickly. However, sometimes you have to wait a few minutes or even hours. These URl will be put into the queue and will appear when processed.

Some other solutions

We only introduce some solutions. Readers can also look for Microsoft's Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool, which is part of the Application Compatibility Toolkit. In addition, you can also refer to the use of virtual drives (VHD) to run other versions of IE with virtual computers. Microsoft calls them IE Application Compatibility VPC Images.

If you like BrowserShots but it is not fast enough, go to IE NetRenderer. Although it only supports IE versions from 5.5 to 8, the advantage of this service is that it will give you an instant picture of what happens to your URL.