Technical Help

Click on a topic area below that seems relevant to you:

How to print reports

WebKids offers several reports to help you manage your claim information. All of these reports use the free Adobe Reader, a universally-available tool for viewing reports on-line. You must have this Adobe Reader installed in order to see these reports. If it isn't installed, isn't installed properly, or it's version is too old, you will not be able to see reports (they will either not appear at all, or will appear to be gibberish).

To install the free Adobe Reader on your system, do the following:
  1. Click this link: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
  2. On the screen that appears, choose your Platform and Connection Speed. Note:
    • You will be prompted to download the full version Adobe Reader. You don't need it, but are welcome to download it if you should so choose. Either option is fully compatible with WebKids reports.
    • You will also be prompted to download the free Photoshop Album Starter Edition. This is completely unnecessary for WebKids, but you are welcome to download it if you like.
    • You may be prompted to use the Adobe Download Manager. This can frequently be helpful when downloading on dial-up Internet connections, but is relatively useless on broadband (Cable/DSL) connections. Whether or not you choose to use it when downloading the Adobe Reader is completely up to you.
  3. Click the [Download] button to start the download process. If you choose to "Open" the file you are downloading, the installation will start automatically when the download is complete.
If you have problems installing Adobe Reader, we recommend you contact Adobe support. We cannot offer any support the Adobe Reader itself.

Once the free Adobe Reader has been installed, you should have no problem viewing reports in WebKids.


Reports don't print - Access Denied error occurs
If you run certain functions within WebKids (especially any reports), and you get an error message indicating "Access Denied", it may because you are using the wrong web browser.

Minute Menu WebKids requires that you use Internet Explorer version 6.0 or greater. Some Internet Service Providers such as AOL, SBC Yahoo, Wal-Mart, AT&T Worldnet, and others, provide you with a customized version of Internet Explorer. These customized versions of Internet Explorer will allow you to login to WebKids, but certain WebKids functionality may not work. For example, an error frequently occurs in these customized browsers when printing reports -- when the Report Loader finishes, you get an Access Denied javascript error, instead of the report.

You must use Internet Explorer, the un-changed version supplied with Microsoft Windows, when logging into WebKids. To do this:
  1. Click on your Start menu, in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.
  2. Move your mouse over Programs to expand a list of program choices.
  3. Find Internet Explorer (with the logo), and click it.
  4. Login to www.minutemenu.com from here
You can still use your customized SBC Yahoo/AOL/etc. web browser for all other Internet-related tasks. Just use Internet Explorer when recording food program information on WebKids.

If you know you are using a custom browser like SBC Yahoo's browser, or AOL's built-in browser, then you should close WebKids now and open Internet Explorer.
Reports print to screen fine, but print garbled on paper

Some users have reported that when attempting to print a report to their printer, the report appears garbled, even though it appears to look perfect on screen.

To resolve this problem, you must print these reports as images within Adobe. Specifically:
  1. Generate the report in Minute Menu WebKids as normal, so it appears on screen.
  2. Click on the the little printer icon to send the report to your printer, as you would normally do.
  3. This will bring up a Print properties dialog window. You will need to choose the print as image option, which could involve one of two different steps, depending upon the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader you have installed:
    • Acrobat 6.x:
      1. Click [Advanced]
      2. Select Print As Image
      3. Click [OK] to close the Advanced Print Setup dialog box
      4. Click [Print] to print the report
    • Acrobat 5.x:
      1. Select Print as Image
      2. Click [OK] to print the report
You are required to login on every page

Some WebKids users have indicated that they are forced to retype their login information every time they access any function with WebKids. So, they will login once and be presented with the main menu. Then, after that, they will be forced to login again when they try to Record Meals, or List Children, or use any other WebKids function.

This error occurs when your computer has become the victim of a particular piece of Spyware/Adware that constantly re-routes Internet requests to an Internet server other than the one you are attempting to login to (in this case, the WebKids servers). One piece of Spyware in particular called "Hotbar" has been identified as a particular cause of this problem.

Please review the information noted below to find out how to remove the Adware/Spyware that is installed on your computer and causing this problem. If you remove "Hotbar", this problem should no longer occur.


Some pages display old information, don't refresh properly, or give errors

Various problem can be caused by caching. Internet Explorer caches web pages on your local computer to minimize the amount of time you spend downloading pages that you visit frequently. But when those pages change, you must download the newest version of those pages, otherwise you will still see outdated (and incorrect) information.

Internet Explorer is configured by default to re-download pages that have changed, which means that normally WebKids will work just fine. But if you have changed the default configuration of Internet Explorer, it may cause WebKids to malfunction in strange ways. For example: you may change your claim month, but immediately after changing it the claim month still shows the wrong month. Other problems could arise in this situation as well. So if you encounter a problem like this, you should check the following:
  1. Open Internet Explorer (but do not login to Minute Menu WebKids).
  2. Across the top of your Internet Explorer window, you should see a gray menu bar with choices like "File Edit View Favorites Tools Help". Go to Tools, then choose Internet Options.
  3. This will bring up your Internet Options window, focused on the General tab. In the middle of the page, you'll see a button labled [Settings]. Click [Settings].
  4. In the top half of the window that appears, "Automatically" must be chosen. If it isn't chosen, choose "Automatically" and click [OK] to close the window. (If it is chosen already, then you have another problem. Close Internet Explorer, and see below)
  5. Click [Apply], then click [OK] to close the window.
  6. Close Internet Explorer.
  7. Re-open Internet Explorer, go to www.minutemenu.com, and login. The problem should be solved.
If you perform those steps but notice that "Automatically" was already chosen, then you should perform the following steps to clear out your cache entirely:
  1. Open Internet Explorer (but do not login to Minute Menu WebKids).
  2. Across the top of your Internet Explorer window, you should see a gray menu bar with choices like "File Edit View Favorites Tools Help". Go to Tools, then choose Internet Options.
  3. This will bring up your Internet Options window, focused on the General tab. In the middle of the page, you'll see a button labled [Delete Files]. Click [Delete Files].
  4. In the window that appears, check the box labeled "Delete all offline content".
  5. Click [OK]. The system will begin deleting all cached content, which will force your computer to download the latest files from WebKids when you next login. This process can take a few moments, so be patient.
  6. That pop-up window will close when it is finished. Then click [OK] to close the remaining window that is open.
  7. Close Internet Explorer.
  8. Re-open Internet Explorer, go to www.minutemenu.com, and login. The problem should be solved.
If you still experience problems, please contact your sponsor.
Spyware/Adware problems

Spyware/Adware are terms used to describe a particular type of software that is created by hackers or by companies that attempt to "scam" their way into making money. As you surf the web, various pop-up or other ads attempt to get you to visit certain web sites or install certain tools, and depending upon what actions you take, you may inadvertently install a piece of Spyware/Adware. These Spyware/Adware programs will frequently add task bars or icons to your Internet Explorer window, and can frequently cause pop-ups to appear constantly while you browse the web, even when the web site you're visiting does not issue any pop-ups. Virtually all of these programs slow down your computer in some way, especially while you're using the Internet.

There are far too many variations of Spyware/Adware on the Internet to go into detail on each of them. Some particularly prevalent Spware/Adware programs include Smiley Central, Pop Swatter (which masquerades as a free pop-up blocker), Hotbar, PowerSearch, and My Web Search.

All of these programs tend to make using the Internet more cumbersome. Many of them can prevent WebKids from working properly. We highly recommend that you take steps to rid yourself of these programs. Here are some tips:
  1. Change your browser configuration so no software can install itself without your explicit authorization. To do this:
    1. Open Internet Explorer (but do not login to Minute Menu WebKids).
    2. Across the top of your Internet Explorer window, you should see a gray menu bar with choices like "File Edit View Favorites Tools Help". Go to Tools, then choose Internet Options.
    3. This will bring up your Internet Options window, focused on the General tab. Choose the Advanced tab.
    4. In the Advanced tab, you'll see a list of various Internet Explorer browser configuration options. In the heading under "Browsing", you'll see two options:
      - Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)
      - Enable Install On Demand (Other)
      Make sure that both of these are un-checked.
    5. Click [Apply], then click [OK] to close this window.

  2. Visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com to get the latest security updates for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Internet Explorer (as most of these Spyware/Adware problems result from security holes in Microsoft products). BE CAREFUL: some particularly crafty Spyware programs actually mimic the appearance of the Microsoft Update web site, so be sure you're installing software updates from Microsoft.


  3. Install a program that is designed to help eliminate Spyware/Adware. There are a multitude of free programs designed to get rid of Adware/Spyware. We recommend Spybot Search & Destroy. This program will help you get rid of most (but not all) Spyware/Adware that may be installed on your computer. Click here to go to the Spybot home page and download Spybot for free. After you install Spybot, you'll typically need to run it two (and sometimes three) times to get rid of all the Spyware on your computer. We recommend you reboot your computer after you run it each time.

    Another frequently used program is Ad-Aware. Click here to go to the Ad-Aware home page, and download the free version of Ad-Aware.


  4. If you still experience problems after using Spybot (or Ad-Aware), you may have some particularly pesky piece of Spyware/Adware installed. In particular, a piece of Adware called "MyWebSearch" can sometimes be difficult to eliminate with Spybot or Ad-Aware. To eliminate this, you must use the CWShredder tool. Click here to download it now.

    Besides CWShredder, there are many other specialized tools designed to help eliminate various Spyware problems. Click here to visit the Computer Cops web site, which has links to several useful anti-Spyware/Adware programs. We do not offer any support on these programs directly, so we recommend you spend some time reviewing information about them on-line so you will know how to use them. But any program listed with a star by its name on this web site should be useful for you. In particular, HiJackThis and BHODemon are quite useful.


  5. For more information on Adware/Spyware, here are some useful links:
    - 'Hotbar' spyware program bedevils Windows and should be removed - Article
    - The rise and rise of scumware - Article
    - SpywareInfo - Web site devoted to helping prevent Adware/Spyware problems
    - Spyware, In a Galaxy Near You - Article
    - "Spyware" piggybacks on Napster rivals - Article


Server Error message displayed

In some cases, you may see a message indicating "Server Error in '/' Application". If you get this message, we first recommend you close that window, and re-try your last action. If that doesn't work, then there may be a more severe problem. Try to clear out your cache as described above (once you log out of WebKids and clear your cache) log back in and try it again. If that doesn't work, please contact us.


Other Script Error occurs

WebKids has been designed to function much like an application, even though it is only a series of web pages. Part of the way it does this is by running a variety of scripts embedded in each web page.

These scripts are separate files that must be downloaded with each page. Occassionally these scripts do not download properly. This will cause a pop-up Script Error message to appear, or in some cases you'll just see a little yellow warning label in the status bar of your browser.

If this happens, you should first check to be sure that you are using Internet Explorer, and not some customized browser supplied by an Internet Service Provider (see above for details). If you are using Internet Explorer, we recommend you first try to fix the problem by: (1) closing the page you are on, and (2) attempt to go back into that page and continue what you were doing. If you still get a Script Error on your second attempt, then try clearing out your cache as described above and (once you log out of WebKids and clear your cache) log back in and try it again.

If none of this works, please contact us.
(c) Minute Menu Systems, LLC 2007. All Rights Reserved.