I'm new to programming pic chips and I recently bought a pickit 2 clone to learn PIC microcontroller programming.
I also downloaded the Pickit 2 software Application version 2.61.00, Device File version 1.61.00 and OS Firmware Version 2.32.00.
The software seems to be working fine as I've noticed that it can detect whether the programmer is connected or not. and also, it detected my pic chip properly. Hence I'm sure the hardware connections are proper.
I'm using a PIC12F675 8 pin microcontroller and am coding in assembly as it is easier for me to estimate the timings for the events required in my project.
The Pickit 2 application has a window titled Program