ZigBee Protocol Stack

I am confused about setting up a MRF24J40MA. First, I noticed there are several software stacks for different types of end products. Microchip offers a free version called the 2006 Residential Protocol Stack and ZigBee has the Pro version for $900.00. Question 1: Is the stack software necessary just to get things up and running? I am trying to get simple communications between 2 units. Question 2: The radio setup of the units is done through Microchips radio driver. The instructions are unclear if it runs on W7-64? Is anyone using this hardware and is it working well for you? Thanks for your help.RC