A total of five different Virtual PC images are offered, to give the web developer options to test websites in the following constellations:

• Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP SP3
• Internet Explorer 7 running on Windows XP SP3
• Internet Explorer 8 running on Windows XP SP3
• Internet Explorer 7 running on Windows Vista SP2
• Internet Explorer 8 running on Windows Vista SP2

The images are available as separate downloads from Microsoft Download. The Windows XP images have a size between 490 and 580 Megabytes, the Windows Vista images between 1990 and 2100 Megabytes. A version of Windows Virtual PC is required to run the virtual operating systems on the computer.

The XP and Vista images have different expiration dates:

Windows XP Images
These images were last updated on October 13, 2010, and expire on January 11, 2011.

IE6-on-XPSP3.exe contains a Windows XP SP3 with IE6 VHD file. Expires January 11, 2011
IE7-on-XPSP3.exe contains a Windows XP SP3 with IE7 VHD file. Expires January 11, 2011
IE8-on-XPSP3.exe contains a Windows XP SP3 with IE8 VHD file. Expires January 11, 2011

Windows Vista
Due to the size of the Vista VHD, it is split across several files, you’ll need to download all files for that version of the Internet Explorer and uncompress them to the same directory to unpack the VHD file. This VHD only has SP1, and should be updated to ensure it has the latest service packs and security updates.

IE7-VIS1.exe+IE7-VIS2.rar+IE7-VIS3.rar contain a Vista Image with IE7 VHD file. Expires 90 days after first run.
IE8-VIS1.exe+IE8-VIS2.rar+IE8-VIS3.rar+IE8-VIS4.rar contain a Vista Image with IE8 VHD file. Expires 90 days after first run.

The virtual PC images are created by double-clicking the files to create the VHD file. They then need to be loaded as a new VPC image in Virtual PC.

All five different Virtual PC images are available for download at Microsoft Download. Web developers find another option to Use Multiple Internet Explorer Versions Simultaneously in a previous guide that we have published.

I think that this is an interesting move by the Opera team which will surely help web developers. We will have to wait until May 6th to be able to test the functionality of this first alpha release but it surely will deliver what the team promises.

This first release has the intention to gather feedback from the web developer community for new features and changes that it wants to see implemented in the beta and final release of Opera Dragonfly.

The Dragonfly Is About To Land

But there was something missing. Opera has—until now—lacked one important piece of the jigsaw, but this missing piece is being added as you read. We are proud to announce Opera’s all-new developer tool — Opera Dragonfly. With Opera Dragonfly’s alpha release on the 6th of May, 2008, developers will have an array of new tools to debug Web sites and applications from within the Opera Browser.

Opera Dragonfly’s alpha release is still under active development as it matures to become ready for beta and final releases. We want your feedback and feature requests for the initial alpha release to make sure it fits your needs and makes your work easier. Over the coming months and years, we will continually develop Opera Dragonfly to realize our vision of first-class developer tools, and add even further functionality to the product. The alpha release is a first snapshot and foundation for that vision.

Opera Dragonfly will be available on the 6th of May at .

Check out the official Opera Dragonfly homepage that contains a countdown and will offer the download in less than 12 days.