Install multiple versions of IE on your PC

Posted on 26 February 2007 in
YADS websites software Drupal design cool

I recently wanted to try out my drupal websites in IE 6.0 (and ideally 5.55 too, for compatibility) however since IE7 was released, its been harder and harder to find a computer with IE6 left on it!

Step in: Multipel_IE

A single install file containing IE 3 through to 6…

What is it?

I think the best way to describe this fantastically easy to use tool is to quote their website:

Ever wanted to test your website in various versions of Internet Explorer?

[adsense:468x60:4496506397]

It is possible to run Internet Explorer in standalone mode without having to over-write previous versions thanks to Joe Maddalone who came up with a way of achieving that in November 2003. Basically, Internet Explorer is run by exploiting a known workaround to DLL hell - which was introduced in Windows 2000 and later versions - called DLL redirection.

Manfred Staudinger perfected the standalone versions by adding IE version numbers to the title bar of the standalone browser window. Moreover, by removing the "IE" key in the registry subkey [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version Vector] Internet Explore defaulted to respecting conditional comments based on the version number prebuilt in the program.

It is not difficult to follow the instructions and get any version of IE running in standalone along side other versions. Most of you probably know of evolt's archive of Internet Explorer which has them readily packaged in ZIP files. Now suppose you want to download them all. An installer that would conveniently automate the whole process would be great. Thanks to this comment for the idea.

So I made an installer which contains IE3 IE4.01 IE5 IE5.5 and IE6

You might also recognise the Trendsoft site as a YADS