Website in IE8 local vs production...identical files but differ in result

A bit new to this whole web development thing still. This question will be bit vague as well as Im just aftering some pointers and directions.

Got an odd issue here. The issue is that I have this php file that displays some items. When tested locally, its layout is what I expected but when it is placed on production webserver it displayed in another layout, not what I wanted.

note, production server uses a slightly older version of php and apach开发者_如何学Pythone.

This issue only occurs in IE8, when testing local file with IE8, its fine, but when it goes to the production webserver it displays the item incorrectly. The only way I can get it displaying correct is to click on the Compatibility View button. So Im a bit stumped, same browser, accessing identical files, except one is local while another is online results in different outcome.

ps, with Firefox or Chrome, not a problem.

So i was wondering apart from html and css coding, can any php or apache settings cause this inconsistency in IE8 with local & production files?

Much appreciated in advance!

Intranet zone sites render in compatibility mode by default in IE8 while local sites and public sites do not, this is the most likely cause of the difference.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956197

Turn on Internet Explorer Standards Mode for Local Intranet: This setting disables Compatibility View (enables Standards Mode) for all intranet Web sites.