I wanted to document what I learned so it's available to other folks.

In those other threads, the Leveractive team recommends moving the MAF application to the Shared user folder after installation. In my experience, this didn't solve the problem.

The specific configuration that causes MAF to hang on launch is this: a managed account using parental controls with (this is critical) the "only allow selected applications" checkbox checked. (The Simple Finder setting is irrelevant. The problem does not arise if the "only allow selected applications" checkbox is unchecked, whether or not Simple Finder is enabled.)

So, right away, one solution would be to just uncheck the "only allow selected applications" checkbox. You can still use Simple Finder, and the MAF application will work fine. But in my case (and I suspect others as well), my managed account is for small children and I've set it up without a password, so I want to limit the applications that can be run by the account.

(EDIT - SECTION REMOVED HERE BY ADMIN AS IT WAS PROPRIETARY INTERNAL PROGRAM INFORMATION...HACKING INTO OUR PROGRAMS AND POSTING INFORMATION ABOUT THEM WILL BE DELETED BY ADMIN)

This is all quite unfortunate because MAF is otherwise an excellent program, and there's nothing else out there quite like it. And of course the very nature of the program is such that people would naturally like to install it on locked-down, managed accounts with no passwords set up for small children. Given that this problem has been documented in these forums for going on 9 months, and the MAF program is still being actively sold, I really wish the developer would step up and fix this problem once and for all. But until then, as far as I can discover, there's no way to run the program successfully on a managed account with the "only allow selected applications" checkbox checked.

My best guess at this point is that the program is getting hung up on its serial number check -- perhaps there's another, secret, helper application that is launched by the main MAF program to check that the serial number has been entered? If so, then maybe the system is preventing this secret helper application from launching and that's what is causing the hang.

My 18 month old and 3 and a half year old daughters love this program. It's too bad I can't get it to run in what would be the most natural account configuration for them.

My advice to future parents who are trying to get this to work is as follows:

Option 1: Set up a managed account that uses the Simple Finder but make sure the "only allow selected application" checkbox is unchecked. (You can still select applications from the list to make sure they show up in the Simple Finder's application folder and limit the application choices presented to your children.) If you do this, though, you'll either need to set a password for the account or take the risk of having a no-password account on your computer that can run any program. In some environments, this might be acceptable.

Option 2: (The one I chose) Install Giggles Baby - MAF on another account and switch to that account when one of your kids wants to run the program. It's a very imperfect workaround, but in my case it works because it is the 18 month old who mostly uses the application, and she can't log into the managed account and run it on her own anyway. So for the times where she wants to use it, I sit her on my lap and launch the program from my account.

But of course, by far the best option is Option 3, for the developer to release a new version that fixes this. :-)

Best,
Joe Bezdek

P.S. One additional tip for the parents out there: after installing and running the program for the first time on the managed account (do so after temporarily disabling the parental controls), I recommend moving the program to the ~/Applications folder. (If it doesn't already exist, create it.) This creates a local Applications folder that only the account that installed the MAF application can see. This prevents the program from accidentally being launched by an account other than the one that installed it. Launching it from another account, of course, for some bizarre reason, will not only hang the MAF application, but will cause it to hang on all future launches, even if launched by the account that installed it. (You have to delete and re-install the program to get it to work again.)

All the best,

Steps I have taken to resolve the issue - Issue resolved - See 3rd Post for Resolution
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installed Screen Saver first - Install hung at finish screen - Screen saver does not work
Normal install - Received missing components message
Uninstalled Screen Saver
Uninstalled Giggles Baby Shapes
Reinstall using Admin Privileges both Screen Saver and Shapes - Received missing components message
Changed compatibility to Run as Admin - Received missing components message
Uninstalled Screen Saver
Uninstalled Giggles Baby Shapes
Reinstall using Admin Privileges both Screen Saver and Shapes
Changed compatibility to Run as Admin and run as Win XP SP3 - Received missing components message
------> Started Windows XP SP3 Box and installed there, both screen saver and Giggles Baby Shapes run Successfully

Any ideas? Are all registry entries removed on Uninstall? Should I be looking there next?

Thanks much!
~Josh Tollefson

I never got a confirmation email either.  However, when I checked my bank account the purchase shows up.

HELP PLEASE!!!!

Momofour

My first son has outgrown giggles for babies but is still not ready to control the computer completely himself.  I'm hoping for something he can play not involving the mouse - but plenty of keyboard bashing and perhaps picking some letters out seeing as Giggles ABC has tought him the alphabet and he's already typing a bit.

Kathy

Has a lot of cool features.

Just go to Amazon.com and search for Lorex LW2001 Digital Wireless Portable Color LCD Surveillance System

I have installed a little program/ application launcher called DockTop to circumvent this annoying issue, and further limit the user by hiding the Finder and giving them a very small subset of Applications to use.

Please otherwise advise

I have received a reply from the Giggles team and have been informed that the reason why my 1 year old boy can still access the rest of my computer is because my laptop has 'multimedia keys'. 

My question is...does anyone know how I can disable these keys?  I could buy a separate keyboard but my boy loves the laptop and I think he will just try and get to the laptop keyboard, so I don't think that will work.

I use a Evesham Voyager laptop, which has Windows Vista software. 

I would really appreciate it if anyone who knows how to do this could let me know how to.

Thanks ever so much!

Hazel.