I don't know where you're at (put a location in your profile), but go here
and get a FTDI basic for $13 and save your self a ton of software hassle.
(I have been following Nisthant Sood's attempts with a couple of Serial & Parallel port programmers, he has been struggling trying to get them to work).
You can then use this to program other standalone boards you make yourself, or Prominis, or Ardweenys, or RBBB, or ...