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However, as you might already know, Microsoft does not let you install multiple versions of IE on the same machine. Don't let Microsoft stop you. You can use what are commonly referred to as standalone versions of Internet Explorer.
You will need to click on the down arrow to scroll down and display the other menu icons. Click the monitor and phone icon at the bottom of the menu to open the Emulation options. You can now choose a previous version of Internet Explorer to emulate using the Document Mode drop down menu.
Internet Explorer 6 was the last version to be called Microsoft Internet Explorer. The software was rebranded as Windows Internet Explorer starting in 2006 with the release of Internet Explorer 7. Internet Explorer 6 is no longer supported, and is not available for download from Microsoft.
I wouldn't do it. Use virtual PCs instead. It might take a little setup, but you'll thank yourself in the long run. In my experience, you can't really get them cleanly installed side by side and unless they are standalone installs you can't really verify that it is 100% true-to-browser rendering.
Update: Looks like one of the better ways to accomplish this (if running Windows 7) is using Windows XP mode to set up multiple virtual machines: Testing Multiple Versions of IE on one PC at the IEBlog.
Update 2: (11/2014) There are new solutions since this was last updated. Microsoft now provides VMs for any environment to test multiple versions of IE: Modern.IE
Nobody mentioned this, but IETester is a great tool. It supports Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, 7 and 8RC1. The rendering matches the corresponding browsers. At least I haven't found any discrepancies yet.
I normally use it to do a basic check of the layout. I still need VMs to debug JavaScript or to use the Developer Toolbar with a specific Internet Explorer version.
You can use the new MS Expression Web SuperPreview
(source: istartedsomething.com)
If you do not want to spend money on MS Expression Web, you can download Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview for Windows Internet Explorer completely free. The only restriction is that after the trial expires you can't compare to non IE browsers.
I would also suggest running a few virtual machines rather than running multiple versions of Internet Explorer on the same instance of Windows.
Microsoft provides Virtual PC disk images with Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 at the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image download page.
The current list of virtual disk images available from the above link are:
(List is current as of October 11, 2009. All versions have expiration dates.)
modern.IE is an undertaking by Microsoft to make cross-browser testing for the Internet Explorer browsers easier. Microsoft has created modern.IE to provide developers and designers with a suite of tools to facilitate IE browser testing.
With modern.IE you have two methods of testing your website in IE. First, modern.IE offers you three months free usage of the web-based browser testing service BrowserStack. You just need a Facebook account to login and start testing.
The second method modern.IE offers is a virtualization image of each browser from IE 6 to IE 10, which can be run on virtualization software like VirtualBox, Virtual PC, Hyper-V or VMWare Player on WIndows, Mac or Linux.
Additionally, modern.IE also provides a tool which scans your web page for common coding problems and lists them out for you to correct so that they display correctly in all IE versions.
Source: modern.IE - Cross-Browser IE Testing Tools Suite
You can't use IE8 to replace IE7. The JavaScript engine in IE8 is never the same as in IE7. Try leaving trailing commas in array or object literals in both IE7 and IE8 - you'll get an error in the former, but not the latter even in compatibility mode. If you want your site to work in IE7, you need to test in IE7.
Try http://finalbuilds.edskes.net/iecollection.htm.
Utilu IE Collection contains multiple IE versions, which are standalone so they can be used at the same time.
Conditional Comments work exactly the same as in the native versions. The original version number is shown correctly in the User Agent string. The version number can be found in the window title too.
Utilu IE Collection also includes the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar 1.00.2189.0. This Explorer Bar provides a variety of tools which make troubleshooting websites easier. The Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar is compatible with Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher when using Windows 2000 or higher.
Utilu IE Collection has the option to install the Firebug Web Development Extension for Internet Explorer. Firebug provides a lot of useful tools which make web development easier...
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