Something Redmond Forgot to Tell Us...

...when they rolled out Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 earlier this week is that they would be offering a "canned" version of IE8. As I suggested, the safest way to try IE8 is by running it on a virtualized operating system. Well, great minds think alike, and Microsoft has now put up the download links you need to make it easy - and safe - to try IE8.

Download, Add VPC 2007, and Stir

For some time, Microsoft has offered combinations of Windows XP SP2 and IE6 or IE7 as preconfigured virtual hard disk (.VHD) files you can run with Virtual PC 2007. Now, it's added a VHD featuring Windows XP SP2 and IE8 Beta 1 to the list (IE8_VPC.EXE, 438.6MB). Choose your favorite combination at the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image webpage. You can also take Windows Vista with IE7 for a spin (IE7-VIS1.exe). However, there's no word on whether Vista + IE8 will be offered - or when.

Take It for a Test Drive - until July

These preconfigured images aren't "dead in 30 days" demos, either. The images expire on July 3, 2008, so you have plenty of time to see what's happening. Read on to see how easy it is to get started with Virtual PC.

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windows, Software, news, Internet Explorer, beta, Internet Explorer 8, Windows XP SP2, Virtual PC, E8 Beta 1, closed source

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