Installing different versions of IE on Windows

[gnubler]

This may have been on the forum before, so forgive me, but I wanted to refresh the topic.

I'm not very experienced with Windows, so wondering about being able to install different versions of IE, and other browsers, for site testing. On the Mac it's easy, but I know the Windows OS sometimes gobbles things up when installing upgrades/new versions.

What OS is required to run IE7?

Also, does the MS website offer downloads of earlier versions of IE? If not, where can they be found?

[Wickham]

You can install IE6 and IE7 on the same PC using "Virtual PC" software.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

It's beyond my capabilities so don't attempt it unless you know what you are doing. IE6 and IE7 form part of the core operating system program so you can't mix them. A virtual PC means that it effectively creates another operating system.

Other browsers are just programs like any other so you can have Firefox, Opera or others on the same drive as IE and open in different windows.

IE7 requires OS XP
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/about/sysreqs/default.mspx

To get an earlier version of IE you would probably have to get an earlier operating system or uninstall a previous upgrade but I would not recommend going backwards.