Windows 7: Resolving IE6 Compatibility Issues

Organizations deploying Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) or the upcoming IE9 might need to first resolve IE6 compatibility problems with Web content and applications. One solution considered by some customers is application virtualization technology such as Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) to run IE6 on Windows 7 alongside IE8. Although this might appear to be an easy fix, the approach is neither supported nor licensed by Microsoft. Organizations that cannot resolve browser-compatibility problems by fixing Web content and applications will have to rely on other virtualization technologies.

IE6 and IE8 Differences

When IE6 was released in 2001, Web sites and applications were often designed to target specific browser versions. (For example, organizations built intranet sites and applications targeting IE6 that are still in use today.) Because newer browsers, including IE8, support Web standards such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and improved security, sites designed specifically for IE6 may not work with IE8.