I downloaded the MPLAB/PicStart upgrade to 1.21. The software installed OK.
The Readme Release Notes detail how to install the firmware. Step one
connects the programmer to the serial port and invokes the software. Step
two enables the programmer and selects the 17C44 device. The rest of the
steps involve loading the file, programming the replacement 17C44,
disassembling the programmer and exchanging the 17C44.

After following the instructions and installing the newly programmed 17C44,
the programmer "power" and "active" LEDs were lit as soon as power was
applied, and the computer would not communicate with the programmer. When
the old 17C44 was re-installed, everything was back to normal.

Back at step two, examining the default choices in the "programmer
configuration" window, I see that they are "oscillator = EC",
"microcontroller/microprocessor =  microprocessor", and "Watch Dog Timer =
x1". The instructions don't say anything about the need to change any
defaults, but it seemed to me that the oscillator should be XT and the
uc/up should be microcontroller. So I changed both of those, erased the
part and reprogrammed it. Now the "power" LED is the only one lit (which is
normal), but the computer still can't connect to the programmer. How about
that WDT setting; is that OK?

Can somebody tell me what the configuration settings should be?
(Aside to Micrchip - change the Readme/instructions to include this info)

Reg Neale