The only VM that requires any driver config is IE6, and these scripts handle that: https://github.com/xdissent/ievms

You don't need to activate Windows, you can (legally, supported by Microsoft) extend the grace period to 180 days, and you can even automate that. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/vista-hands-on-9-use-vista-fo...

It's been that way for 5+ years.