simple question from a novice

Hallo all[:)],

I have a PIC16F874A on hand, and am willing to learn how to use it. I
manage to design it as an A/D converter connecting to a PC through
RS232. On the PC Labview8.0 is expected to be adopted as the platform
for display the sampled signal.

It seems not difficult. However this kind of chip is completely new to
me. To avoid wasting too much time indulging myself into reading thru
the whole manual, I'd like to know
  --which modules are necessary for me to read, and
  --where I could get some sample codes for this purpose.

Thanks a lot in advance, [:D]

Joseph