Can I set a different data directory for Internet Explorer?

Question

In Google Chrome, I can provide the command-line argument --user-data-dir="..." to have Chrome use a different directory for state like cookies, cache, and so forth. This makes it possible to trivially load web pages from a "fresh" browser and simulate multiple independent users.

How can I do the same thing with Internet Explorer (either 6, 7, or 8)?

Edit: It's looking like IE always uses the current user's profile, so you have to set up multiple users on the system and switch between them. What a pain.

Answer 1

Heh.

With Chrome, FF, etc. I can actually have multiple versions on a single machine and test them without interference. IE requires me to set up VMs. Hence, the bulk of the code i churn out only gets tested rigorously on IE6 (since that's the install on the host OS). IE, if you'll pardon my slang, is a bitch - i've no idea how they manage to test it effectively within MS.

That said... You can sort of get what you want. If you're running XP and aren't on a domain, or are running Vista, you can configure "Fast User Switching". Then, configure multiple user accounts. Finally, log into each one, launch IE in each one, and rest assured they're using different profiles / data directories. Alternately, if you're running one of the Server versions of Windows (i'm partial to 2k3 r2), you can set up Terminal Services and simply use RDC to create multiple concurrent logins.

Answer 2

One suggestion I can think of would be to create multiple user accounts on the box, and then create shortcuts to Internet Explorer with the RunAs command or use the Run As... context menu option.

See also:
http://www.krunk4ever.com/blog/2006/12/01/how-to-run-explorerexe-as-another-user/