internet explorer - Can I tell IE9 to launch with the IE8 or IE7 rendering engine
2014-01
I'm setting up a testing machine that needs to launch multiple copies of IE when the machine boots, because the browser will be running automated tests. I know IE9 can render IE7 and IE8 but is there a way to launch the browser into these modes when it starts?
I had a look at the command line options but couldn't find anything. I'd also prefer not to use VHD's.
Currently when I want to check how web pages look and behave in IE7, I switch the rendering mode of Internet Explorer 8 to IE7 under "Developer Tools". Unfortunately this procedure needs to be repeated for every new tab and window.
Is there a way to make that selection permanent?
Edit: Virtual PC or equivalents is something I'd rather avoid. In this case, the rendering accuracy of the above-mentioned approach is good enough.
As per my comments, Jason's answer about using the free VHD's provided by Microsoft to use IE7 itself for testing is really the best way to go - how are we to know that IE8 is entirely accurate when trying to emulate IE7?
However, if you really wish to use compatibilty mode, and you are testing a site that you control, you can add the following meta-header. Obviously, you'll probably only want to do this while testing.
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE7" />
When IE8 loads a page with this in the header it will automatically switch in to IE7 compatiblity mode.
You may also find it useful to read the Microsoft MSDN article Defining Document Compatibility.
I think it would be easier for you to use the Vista/IE7 IE Application Compatibility VHD for VirtualPC.