Hey mate,
You could have a look at the true USB Willem programmer.
I use a LPT port Willem from Sivava, which I doubt will be Vista happy.
I know there are true USB Willems which will work with Vista 32b, but not sure about 64b; you would have to check.
The good thing with the Willem is it is reconfigurable to handle a wide variety of chips. This may not be a factor for you though. I have used it for PICs, EEPROMs, and I think AVRs (can't clearly remember now).
The Willem is basically open source hardware, with a variety of layouts and vendors. If you choose this type, make sure you get one with decent documentation, and software that supports the particular version you buy.
If you go for a dedicated PIC burner, there are lots of options. I would suggest getting something basic and reliable, not going for feature creep. Some of the programmers with nice ICD features are a bit flakey, and cost more too. Microchip have a fairly low cost basic model.
Some of the third party dedicated PIC programmers have a better rep than Microchip's units. For example, you could have a look
here.
Make sure you verify that any programmer you want, will work with Vista 64b, and the programming software you are using.
Whichever programmer you buy, make sure it supports the full range of PICs you are likely to burn. If you are doing circuits with 'in circuit serial programming' (ICSP) then most PICs will be supported by most programmers.
Alternatively to this, can't you just use a bootloader on a PIC, and program it via serial comms? Also, there may be another MiniMig user in your neighbourhood, who would be willing to prep a PIC with the bootloader, and send it to you.
Good luck,
Oli
