I am trying to write data to the PIC16F690 Eeprom. I use PICKit 2 and MPLAB 8.15 with the HI-TECH C compiler.
This is what I have tried first:

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
#include <pic.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <htc.h>


__EEPROM_DATA("a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h");
_XTAL_FREQ = 4000000;
TEMPREG = 0x20; //User defined register in general purpose register area

__CONFIG(INTIO & WDTDIS & PWRTEN & MCLRDIS & UNPROTECT \
& UNPROTECT & BORDIS & IESODIS & FCMDIS);

//Typedefs as per Coding standards
typedef unsigned char CH;


CH i,k;
v_setupRS232();

i = 0x077; // Initialize Variables

eeprom_write(0,i);
__delay_ms(20); //wait in case writing takes long


while(1) {
k = eeprom_read(0); // Retrieve the values

v_putCh(k);
}
}//end program
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


All I read back out on the screen via the RS232 interface is the 'a' that I have hard coded into the eeprom in the beginning. Thus I conclude that I can read from eeprom, but not write to it.
Next I tried to write my own writing to eeprom function and called that in my program instead of 'eeprom_read()' defined in the htc.h.
Here is the code for my function (directly as from the datasheet of the PIC).

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//function to write to eeprom
void v_write_to_eeprom(CH i1_address, CH ch_data)
{
RP0 = 0;
RP1 = 1;
EEIF = 0;
EEADR = i1_address;
EEDAT = ch_data;
RP0 = 1;
EEPGD = 0;
WREN = 1;
GIE = 0;
EECON2 = 0x55;
EECON2 = 0xAA;
WR = 1;
while(EEIF == 0)
{
continue; //wait till bit is set
}
EEIF = 0;
WREN = 0;
EEIF = 0;
GIE = 1;
RP0 = 0;
return;
}
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This function caused my program to hang, because the EEIF flag never got set.
I replace the
while(EEIF == 0)
{
continue; //wait till bit is set
}

with
while(WR == 1)
{
v_putCh(k); //wait till bit is set
}

This proved to me that the WR bit is not 1, because that section of code never executed.
What could cause the WR bit to not be set???? I believe that is the answer to my problem. Anyone that can help.
(PS. v_putCh() is my function to send a char via RS232 to my screen)