Get Started With IE 9 on Windows Vista
Installing IE 9 on Vista works almost the same as it does on Windows 7. The biggest difference is that you’ll need to have Service Pack 2 installed before you can install it. If you don’t already have it installed, IE 9’s installer will let you know that it’s not supported on your current service pack. Install Service Pack 2, and then run the installer again to setup IE 9.
IE 9 will now install the same as it does in Windows 7. It should only take a few minutes, and then you’ll be prompted to reboot your computer to finish the setup.
You may be asked to select security settings when you first run IE 9.
After that, you’ll be ready to enjoy the latest IE features and speed in Windows Vista. Be sure to try out some of the demos at Microsoft’s BeautyOfTheWeb.com site to see how much faster the new IE is.
Pin Sites to Your Vista Taskbar
One of the most talked about IE 9 features is the ability to pin websites to the taskbar in Windows 7, enabling you to user your favorite sites and webapps with more native Windows integration than before. Windows Vista’s taskbar doesn’t include the new pinning features, so at first it seems like Vista users are left out of the fun.
But, don’t despair: it turns out, there’s still a way you can pin your favorite sites to the Vista taskbar with the Quick Access toolbar. If you don’t already have it enabled, right-click your taskbar and select Toolbars, then Quick Launch.
Now, browse to the site you want to pin to your taskbar, and drag the tab down towards the taskbar, just as you would in Windows 7 to pin it to the taskbar.
Drag it over to the Quick Launch toolbar, and the site will turn into a transparent square. Release it there, and your site will be pinned to your Quick Launch bar.
Your pinned sites will use the site’s favicon and title, and you can pin as many as you would like to make it easier to access your favorite sites and apps.
When you launch a pinned site, it will open in a customized IE window with the pinned site’s favicon in the left side and customized back and forward buttons that match the site’s favicon. If you browse to another page and want to go back to the pinned site, simply click its favicon to go back to that page.
If you’d rather not clutter up your taskbar with tons of icons, you can drag pinned sites from the Quick Launch bar to the desktop.
Now your pinned sites will be easily accessible from your desktop. These shortcuts will still open a customized browser just like they did from the quick launch bar.
The only thing you miss out on is the specialized jump list shortcuts to different parts of your pinned websites. If you right-click the pinned shortcuts, you’ll see a normal icon right-click menu. You can click Delete to remove a pinned site from your shortcut if you wish.
Pin Sites To Your Start Menu
Another way you can quickly access your favorite sites without cluttering up your taskbar is to add them to your start menu. To do this, browse to the site you want to add, click the gear button in the top right corner of IE 9, select File, then click Add site to Start menu.
Click Add in the popup to confirm you want to add the site to your Start menu.
You’ll now see a new shortcut for your pinned site in your Vista start menu. Click it to open it in a new personalized IE 9 window.
Your pinned site will even show up in Vista’s start menu search, so you can quickly access it by without even touching your mouse.
Sites pinned to the Start Menu open in specialized IE windows just like those pinned to the taskbar, so you’ll still get the great customization whichever way you prefer.
View Sites Side-by-Side
Another nice new IE 9 feature in Windows 7 is that you can view sites side by side with Aero Snap. Windows Vista doesn’t include Aero Snap, but you can still view your favorite sites side by side with IE 9. First, drag the tab you want to see side-by-side off of the window to open it in a new window.
Then, make sure you only have the 2 windows visible. Right-click on your taskbar, and select Show Windows Side by Side.
Now you’ll see the two sites side by side just as they would with Aero Snap in Windows 7. You could also get the same effect with the Aero Snap addon for Vista, but it seemed to not work good with IE 9 in our tests.
These tips should help you get the most from IE 9 in Windows Vista. If you come across any other IE 9 tips and tricks, feel free to let use know in the comments! If you want to learn more about IE 9 beta, here’s some more articles from across the How-to Geek network about some of the new features:
Internet Explorer 9 Screenshot Tour
Add Google As Your Search Provider in IE 9
Use Aero Snap with IE 9 Tabs in Windows 7
Other Links
Download IE 9 and Try out its New Features at BeautyOfTheWeb.com
Internet Explorer 9 System Requirements
