Can IE7 be used on Windows 7?

homerun_homer

I'm trying to help my dad with his new laptop, he just got it last weekend with Windows 7 and IE8 is on it. However the main software package he uses for work can't work on IE8 and he needs to use IE7.

from a few googles I can't seem to find an alternative for him as it seems IE8 is the only compatible microsoft web browser for Windows 7.

Can anyone let me know if there is a workaround for this?

Fysh

I wouldn't try and backport an unsupported browser onto an OS; your better bet might be to use a virtual machine. If it's Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate on your dad's machine, you can use Windows XP Mode (see here for details). Alternatively you may be able to install Virtual PC 2007 and manually set up a virtual machine with Windows XP/Vista and IE7 for him to use (though you'll need to have an XP/Vista licence available separate to your Win7 licence).

PogMoThoin

Does the software not run on Firefox?

homerun_homer

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Does the software not run on Firefox?

I'll have to see if it does. I'll install it later and check it out and update the thread whether it works.
Thanks.

testicle

Compatibility Mode in IE8 is IE7...

TouchingVirus

testicle wrote: »

Compatibility Mode in IE8 is IE7...

+1 - Turn on "compatibility mode" in IE8 by clicking the broken page icon at the end of the address bar.

dazzerb

you cannot run/install IE7 on Windows 7 other than within XP Mode on IE7

IE7 compatibility mode does not necessarily work but worth testing. Have same situation with Peoplesoft version - only works in IE7 or lower. Changing to compatibility mode does not help.

Also finding that Chrome(version 4.x) works really well with everything.

Fysh

testicle wrote: »

Compatibility Mode in IE8 is IE7...

TouchingVirus wrote: »

+1 - Turn on "compatibility mode" in IE8 by clicking the broken page icon at the end of the address bar.

Compatibility mode in IE8 is not IE7 - it's a software emulation of the rendering engine used in IE7 which gives no guarantee of working properly if you're using it for a bespoke browser-based application. It's worth a try but I wouldn't go betting the farm on it. XP Compatibility Mode is Microsoft's official solution for this sort of problem.

I can confirm that compatibility mode is not the same as IE7. My laptop's touchpad driver has an annoying bug in IE8 which causes the page to jump back to the top when the vertical scrolling reaches the end. It still does it in IE8's compatibility mode.

mukki

+1 microsofts compatability mode things never work

homerun_homer

Just to update, I tried Firefox, safari & Opera and none work. I got a glimpse of the work program he is to use, and it is just a website, no software. He goes to a link, logs on then gets an error message that something won't work. Only on his desktop (with XP & IE7) will this work. He needs to mobility of a laptop to use this site as he travels so I'd be afraid of the last resort being the install XP (which we don't have a copy of for his new laptop).

He did mention how the laptop at one point asked him if he wanted to partition the drive to run XP & Windows 7 seperately on the drive, but he can't find out how to get that message to appear again.

Fysh

XP Compatibility Mode will be easier than having to dual-boot the system, if your hardware and Win7 licence support it.

I would strongly suggest getting him to send you the URL for the site and check if there are any requirements listed - some corporate apps will require specific versions of the Java Runtime, for example.

On another note - if he's using it for work, is there someone at his workplace IS dept. that can help with this? Even if they just tell you what needs doing it'd still be better than groping around in the dark trying to find a workaround for a system about which you know nothing...

dazzerb

homerun_homer wrote: »

Just to update, I tried Firefox, safari & Opera and none work.

Give Chrome a try (the 4.0.xxx.xxx version)

http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/chrome/beta/

dazzerb

dazzerb wrote: »

Give Chrome a try (the 4.0.xxx.xxx version)

http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/chrome/beta/

Safari and Chrome are based on the same engine so its highly unlikely.

homerun_homer

Fysh wrote: »

XP Compatibility Mode will be easier than having to dual-boot the system, if your hardware and Win7 licence support it.

What will he need to do to do that?

Fysh wrote: »

On another note - if he's using it for work, is there someone at his workplace IS dept. that can help with this? Even if they just tell you what needs doing it'd still be better than groping around in the dark trying to find a workaround for a system about which you know nothing...

He doesn't work for an office or any workplace that would have an IT system. His boss told him he needed to do invoices now through this website and told him the spec of a laptop he would need if he was doing it on the road.
Let's just say that other people who work in his line of work around the country and have to adapt to this new process don't even have, let alone know how to use a computer. (You can slag that they need to move with the times but it would take my dad a few seconds to do up an invoice the normal way, when it now takes a full 3 minutes at least on a broadband connection to do it the new way)

Anyway, his boss never mentioned it wasn't compatible with IE8 until my dad got a new laptop and raised the issue. The boss basically said "tough luck, the site won't be getting upgraded to be compatible with IE8".

You need two things:

1 - Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate

2 - A processor with hardware virtualisation support. You can check this by running this tool on the machine.

If you have both, then download XP Mode and Virtual PC from Microsoft

homerun_homer

I ran the scan and the laptop doesn't have the capability to run it. I'm afraid he might have to downgrade at this stage just so he can use IE7.