Just a note about Vista.
There is a trial version of Vista, if you can find it. That is how I tested my system to see if everything was compatible. I believe any version not pre-activated will work for 30 days if you can find one. Or you can order one from here from Microsoft for $7. *Guess it's not your lucky day, they took it down today (20Feb).
https://na.windowsanytimeupgradestor...T/GoodBye.aspx

So if you have the right version (not a pre-activated OEM or activated pirated), that is not your issue.