There are various options to test a website in different versions of Internet Explorer. Some, like IETester, make it possible to install multiple versions of Internet Explorer on the same computer system. Others, like Browsershots, are online tools that can test a website in various web browsers as well.

A third possibility is now offered by Microsoft directly in the form of virtual PC images. Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 are provided as virtual PC images. It is possible to download a virtual PC image for each web browser running under Windows XP or Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 images running under Windows Vista.

The Windows XP images have a size of around 600 Megabytes each while the Windows Vista images triple that size. The only limitation is an expiration date for the virtual PC images. The Windows XP images will expire in January 2010 while the Vista images will expire 120 days after their first execution. These expiration dates make the virtual PC images a less than favorable solution but its probably better than not testing the various editions of Internet Explorer at all.

Users who are interested in the virtual PC images can download them directly from the Microsoft website.

Related posts

• Use Multiple Internet Explorer Versions Simultaneously (10)
• Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Comparison Chart (23)
• Microsoft February Security Updates (4)
• Log Into Multiple Accounts At The Same Site With Internet Explorer 8 (9)
• Internet Explorer Sessions (0)

Not included are the browsing history or session cookies which is a bit unfortunate as it could mean to log into several of the websites again if they require that. The extension becomes available in the Tools menu of Internet Explorer after installation where the sessions can be stored or loaded.

The Internet Explorer sessions are stored in the program directory by default. The extension provides the option to store them at the Amazon S3 Service instead which costs $0.150 per GB but has the advantage that the sessions are available online and can therefor be loaded from any computer with Internet connection.

Another option would be to send the session per email or upload it manually to the Internet to access it from a second computer.

One interesting aspect of the session manager for Internet Explorer is the ability to manage the stored urls of each session. Single urls can be loaded in the browser. It is also possible to delete urls from the session.

IE Sessions supports Internet Explorer 6 or on Windows XP or Windows 2000. Windows Vista users should read the information posted on the website about Vista compatibility first before they install the extension.

Related posts

• Use Multiple Internet Explorer Versions Simultaneously (10)
• Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image (3)
• Internet Explorer 7 Standalone Edition (5)
• Increase Internet Security With WOT For Internet Explorer (12)
• Validation removed from Internet Explorer 7 (5)

The problem begins when the webmaster realizes that Microsoft has made it virtually impossible to install and use different versions of Internet Explorer on the same computer system. Unlike Firefox or Opera where it is possible to install different versions separately that option has been neglected in Internet Explorer.

A first step in the right direction was the IETester tool which emulated various Internet Explorer versions in one interface making it possible to view websites with different Internet Explorer versions.

The next step however is the Internet Explorer Collection. The collection comes with several Internet Explorer versions from Internet Explorer 1 to Internet Explorer 8 in one installation package. It does include the highly popular Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7.

The best part is that you can pick the Internet Explorer versions that you want and install them on your system separately which in turn means that it is possible to test a website in each version of Internet Explorer independently.

After downloading Internet Explorer Collection the user is presented with several check boxes during installation which when selected install the specific version of Internet Explorer.

It does not make much sense to install the early versions, at least when website testing is the main consideration for installing the different versions. It could be nice for a nostalgic trip however or just for fun to see how fast (or not) those old versions were.

Each version of Internet Explorer that has been installed on the system because accessible through the Windows Start Menu. A click on the Internet Explorer icon will launch that version, it is even possible to launch and run several versions of Internet Explorer simultaneously.

The developer of Internet Explorer Collection is shy on words because there is virtually no information on his website about the technique that he uses to run the Internet Explorer versions on the same computer system.

Related posts

• Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image (3)
• Microsoft February Security Updates (4)
• Internet Explorer 7 Standalone Edition (5)
• Validation removed from Internet Explorer 7 (5)
• Uninstall Internet Explorer 8 (33)

Internet Explorer 7 Standalone (IE7 Standalone) comes in handy if you are still running Internet Explorer 6 on your system but want to install Internet Explorer 7 as well to be able to use both browsers on your system. It’s basically a script that downloads Internet Explorer 7 directly from Microsoft and installs it as a standalone application on your computer. This means that it does not mess with Internet Explorer 6 in any way and that it is possible to load either one of them.

This method does have some shortcomings though. Some features that require Registry keys that are still occupied by Internet Explorer 6 are broken and will not work in Internet Explorer 7 standalone. The developer is listing several features that seem to be broken although most do not explain the aspect that is not working.

This is a great way to run both Internet Explorer 6 and 7 on the same system. A quick test did not reveal any difficulties so far.

Related posts

• Use Multiple Internet Explorer Versions Simultaneously (10)
• Improve Internet Explorer with IE Surfgear (2)
• Validation removed from Internet Explorer 7 (5)
• Test Internet Explorer 7 Beta without installing it (1)
• Running different browsers (2)