How to: Install multiple versions of IE on your PC

Step by step

[DrDoc]

Here's how to install multiple versions of IE on one PC. Before continuing you will need:

• a PC with Windows installed, the later the better
• WinZip, PowerArchiver, or equivalent

Personally I use PowerArchiver, but the instructions apply to WinZip and other equivalent software as well.

---

Step 1 - Download:

Download the IE versions you wish to install from browsers.evolt.org [browsers.evolt.org]. The instructions in this thread assume that you have downloaded 5.01_SP2 and 5.5_SP2, but should apply to all other versions in a similar way.

---

Step 2 - getting the CAB files we need:

Run PowerArchiver. Open the installation file you just downloaded. (Let's start with ie501sp2.exe)

If you are using NT, 2000, or XP - extract the CABs from following files to a folder ('IE5.01' on your Desktop, for example):
IENT_S1.CAB
IENT_S2.CAB
IENT_S3.CAB
IENT_S4.CAB

If you are using 2000 - extract these as well:
IEW2K_1.CAB
IEW2K_2.CAB
IEW2K_3.CAB

For 98 or Me - extract the CABs from these files:
IE_S1.CAB
IE_S2.CAB
IE_S3.CAB
IE_S4.CAB

---

Step 3 - extracting more files:

Extract all files from your IENT_*.CAB (or IE_*.CAB for 98/Me) files to your folder. For 2000, extract the IEW2K_*.CAB files last, overwriting files if necessary.

---

Step 4 - getting it to work:

Delete SHLWAPI.DLL and COMCTL32.DLL, if they exist. Create a new (empty) file and name it IEXPLORE.EXE.local.

Done!

---

Remember

The number of CABs may vary from one version of IE to the other. You will need all. Also, if there are any files named IE###_*.CAB, where ### is the OS (such as W2K or MIL), you need these files as well. Just extract the files from these last.

---

Note: You may not be able to use your favorites in these versions of IE (which causes IE to crash), but it should function well otherwise. Your system version of IE is not affected at all.

[edited by: DrDoc at 10:54 pm (utc) on Nov. 6, 2003]

[DrDoc]

Nah, not weird ;)
But it's a good addition to the instructions, just in case anyone else runs into the same problem.

Are you using a US version of XP?
How about the favorites -- do they work, or will the browser still crash?

[pcguru333]

Yep it is a US version (a Dell PC).

If I so much a move my cursor over the Favorites in the menu bar it crashes.

[robert adams]

I am amazed at this thread. Am I right in assuming that the purpose of this nightmare is so you can test your web design in these browsers?
If so, why? If you write the code to standards and it validates, shouldn't it work in all browsers at least back to 5.0?
I know some of the new fancy ways of doing things won't but that is just the price you have to pay for using the newer coding. If a browser doesn't understand the newer kinds of code then there is nothing you can do about it.

just curious,
robert

[MatthewHSE]

This nightmare? It's not that hard to do, and it's rather fascinating (and useful) to see the little differences between the browsers, particularly between IE 5 and 5.5.

[DrDoc]

If so, why? If you write the code to standards and it validates, shouldn't it work in all browsers at least back to 5.0?

Nothing ever works right in IE! :)
Just because the code validates doesn't mean that it will work.

The broken box model is just one of many many bugs. IE's problem isn't that it doesn't understand "newer" stuff. It doesn't understand CSS1 completely, and it's been around since 1996!

[Herenvardo]

Nothing ever works right in IE! :)

Does anything from Microsoft work right?
I will never adapt my sites to MS bugs... It would take infinite work! :P
HTML 3.2 and w3.org validation is the only thing I care. There are some suggestions on my sites to use efficient browsers, and links to good and free browsers such at netscape.
Here can be raised a new question: why to download a new browser if Windows comes with one already ready to be used?
The answer is another question: why to use Windows?
If I get a complain from any of my users because my page shows unproperly in IE, i answer with a link to Debian (a free linux distribution that includes KDE, very easy to use for Windows users) and another one to the download of Netscape for LiNUX. Totally free and it works... why to pay for a system and browsers that do not work?

It is already know that MS is using the fact that it's browser is the most used to create their own specification of the HTML. But, hopefully, webmasters prefer to use standard HTML better than adapt it to IE'scapabilities and bugs.

Back to topic... I feel bad ny having one IE on my PC, but it would be a nightmare to have multiple versions!
And remember that IE is a system program in Windows. You cannot uninstall it completelly without uninstalling Windows. Windows Explorer, HTML help and many other system tools need it to work. I feel dangerous to manually install other versions in the same system.

Greetings,
Herenvardö

[MatthewHSE]

Actually you're not really "installing" these other versions; you're just copying files to different directories. Then you open the IEXPLORE.EXE file from whatever directory contains the version of IE you want to test in. Really it's more like a FireBird "installation" than anything else. I've had three versions of IE (5, 5.5, 6) on my PC for a couple weeks now, constant uptime, with no problem.

[Herenvardo]

I've had three versions of IE (5, 5.5, 6) on my PC for a couple weeks now, constant uptime, with no problem.

Wow! Wonderful! I've never been able to run a stand-alone version of IE for an entire session without problems.
I'm not joking, it's true! I'm beginning to think that MS hates me as much as I hate it! ;)

Greetings,
Herenvardö, Archyenemy of MS

[nakulgoyal]

I have used his TIP over 12 times now and emailed to more then a dozen of my best friends who are techies.... I really loved it

[MatthewHSE]

It seems as though versions of IE "installed" as described above have problems with secure pages. Specifically, they won't display. Did I do something wrong with my "install," or is this hack just not as robust as the real IE? (Can't believe I'm calling it "robust," but you know what I mean!)

Wow! Wonderful! I've never been able to run a stand-alone version of IE for an entire session without problems.
I'm not joking, it's true! I'm beginning to think that MS hates me as much as I hate it! ;)

I should have been more specific. IE hasn't had constant uptime; in fact I run it as little as possible. What I meant was, I'd been using multiple versions of IE for testing purposes and had not experienced any problems with my computer in general. :)

[IeuanJ]

I am amazed at this thread. Am I right in assuming that the purpose of this nightmare is so you can test your web design in these browsers?
If so, why? If you write the code to standards and it validates, shouldn't it work in all browsers at least back to 5.0?

Why? Because we do not have the luxury of deciding which browsers our site users will have. Many still have IE4 on their home PCs.

Personally I want to test with IE4 because I design Intranet pages that allow data entry and viewing from company wide databases. The facts are that many of our PCs do not conform to company standards and use IE4, 5, 5.01 or 5.5, despite IE6 being the standard for a while now. Additionally some are just so old and slow that running IE6 may kill them completely. Either way the upgrading of these machines aint going to happen soon so whilst keeping within the boundaries of the HTML/CSS specifications, I also have to keep an eye on what works with IE4.

Having said that I have tried to set up IE4 as described but I think i'm missing something.

I have creates the IExplore.EXE.Local file, but how exactly do I run it? double clicking that rightly just takes me to the "open with" screen. I am running on WinNT4.

Please hit me over the head after you tell me if this is plain stupid as others seem to have no problems.

[IeuanJ]

Hello again, if everyone could just ignore my last question i'll go hide under a rock! Fixed that now by actually running the correct file :).

Unfortunately i'm having another problem now with the address bar. Firstly it is labelled as "a&ddress" and secondly it is neither showing the address of the current page or allowing me to type in an address. I get an error saying that Internet Explorer cannot open the address htt:/// which tells me that it is retrieving a null, possily becasue the address bar is incorrectly named. Though oddly enough it is displaying the historical drop down menu fine.

I can use the File > Open dialog or click links fine but not use the address bar.

Have any of you seen this before and know how to fix it?

Again this is IE4 with WinNt4

[BjarneDM]

I've just done this on a Win2000 system, and all three - 5.0, 5.5 & 6 - seem to be running without any problems.

However, I've got problems with the IE Conditional Comments as described here: [msdn.microsoft.com...] . They seem to work perfectly in IE6, but I can't get them to work in IE5 & IE5.5 :( I'm trying to use them to load additional stylesheets to correct for the broken box-model and other issues.

I don't have access to any system that's only running either IE5.0 or IE5.5 so I can't test whether it's my application of the CCs that's wrong (but I don't think so) or whether it's some kind of weird interaction between IE5.0 & IE5.5 when installed on an IE6 system that's going wrong. It is a matter of fact that the 'about' box doesn't report correctly for IE5.0 and IE5.5 when using this trick.

[superscript]

Great post :)

[TheDoctor]

I've got problems with the IE Conditional Comments ... They seem to work perfectly in IE6, but I can't get them to work in IE5 & IE5.5...

I seem to be having the same problem.

I'm also finding that there's a certain amount of "leakage" between the versions if you have them open at the same time. I have to close one verison before I open another.

(I've also found a problem with my site when viewed with IE5.5, which is now freaking me out - but I'm glad I looked!)

[DrDoc]

IeuanJ:

Yes, that's as good as I think anyone has been able to get IE4. And, that's not the only quirk either :(

As far as conditional comments... Did you know that IE doesn't support conditional comments completely?! Now, how is that for a bug!

Try putting this on a page, and see how IE6 (or any of the others) treat it:

<!--[if IE gte 5.5]>
<p>You are using IE 5.5 or higher!</p>
<![endif]-->
<!--[if IE lt 5.5]>
<p>You are using a version of IE prior to 5.5</p>
<![endif]-->

That's how Microsoft says the syntax should be. However, if you change it like this:

<!--[if gte IE 5.5]>
<p>You are using IE 5.5 or higher!</p>
<![endif]-->
<!--[if lt IE 5.5]>
<p>You are using a version of IE prior to 5.5</p>
<![endif]-->

...then it works (even though that's contrary to their specs). Might be useful to know...

[TheDoctor]

It's now morning and I've got conditional comments to work. I think my problem might have been related to having more than one version of IE open at the same time.

DrDoc, the method of conditonal comments that you quote is the way I understood it anyway. But M$'s instructions are not going to win any awards for plain English. Perhaps it does say to do it the first way, but I misread it :)

I have, however, got a problem with printing. When I try to print a page, or do a print preview, IE5.5 tells me that an error has occurred in "res://C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER 5.5\SHDOCLC.DLL/preview.dlg" - permission is denied.

Anyone know what this is, and how to get around it? I really need to test that printing is working.

[DrDoc]

Hmm, did you extract all the files, or just the bare minimum ones? I just tested in my copy of IE5.5, and it worked fine.

Which OS?

[TheDoctor]

I'm runnning Win98SE, and I extracted the files listed in your first post. SHDOCLC.DLL is, in fact, there, so there may be a conflict with something else.

I'll have a poke around and see if I can find out by myself. If I do, I'll post the results here, in case others get the problem. But if anyone else thinks of anything, please speak up ;)

[MichaelEKauffman]

MatthewHSE (Message #40) and I seem to be having the same problem with not being able to view secure pages. I'm sure it's because the IE browser's (5.01 and 5.5) are indicating the Cipher Strength as 0-bit and secure sites now require 128-bit. I have downloaded and extracted the High Encryption Packs for both browsers, and placed the files in the corresponding folders, but still experience the same problem. Does anybody have an idea on how to resolve this problem so testing secure pages is a simple as testing everything else now? Thanks for the help!

[RammsteinNicCage]

I just installed 5.01 SP2 and 5.5 SP2, but I'm worried I may have done something wrong. I didn't see any errors when I looked at my two sites! Even ESPN displayed flawlessly, it seemed. Is it possible for someone to post or sticky me a site that should have some errors on it, so that I can make sure everything's ok?

Jennifer

[Drum]

With the instructions I loaded IE5.5. It crashes just like it is supposed to when you click on favorites, however when I look at my stats for pages i just visited with 5.5 i see this:

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0...

Doesn't that mean that i am using IE6.0 instead of IE5.5?

[MatthewHSE]

A good way of knowing which version you're using is to design a test page with a strict doctype and some design technique that you know won't render correctly in quirks mode (like a 100% height div). Then, if you're in doubt as to which version of IE you're using, just view that page. If it renders in standards-compliance mode, you're using IE6. If it renders in quirks mode, then you're obviously using an earlier version.

[RammsteinNicCage]

Ok, with IE 6, I get just the one line of text with a green background, with IE 5.5, the entire background is green. Is that how it's supposed to be?

Jennifer

[MatthewHSE]

Yep.

Assuming, of course, you made the background of the div green instead of some other color! ;-)

[RammsteinNicCage]

Ok, just tried it in IE 5.01 and I got just the one line again. Is that right? (Yeah, I should have tested it before and mentioned it in my other post :p)

Jennifer

[MichaelEKauffman]

Should I assume nobody has an answer to the question posted earlier to view secure pages when the Cipher Strength states "0"?

[DrDoc]

Doesn't that mean that i am using IE6.0 instead of IE5.5?

Yes, it does. You don't have a file IEXPLORE.EXE.local in the folder where you "installed" IE5.5. Without IEXPLORE.EXE.local IE will default to using the system version of all files, which in this case is IE6. With IEXPLORE.EXE.local in place, IE will instead use the files in the folder of the executable.

[DrDoc]

Should I assume nobody has an answer to the question posted earlier to view secure pages when the Cipher Strength states "0"?

Yes, by default, this type of "installation" has its limitations. One of them being the ability to view secure pages. As of today, there's no solution to this problem.

[MichaelEKauffman]

Thanks Anyway DrDoc!