OK, so you're running a 64-bit version of Windows 7. My instructions were for a 32-bit version. When you look in Program Files(x86), do you see a Compatibility Files button there or in the Virtual Families 2 folder within Program Files(x86)?

No, no Compatibility Files button there.

Just to make certain that I understand the situation correctly, I want to verify that the game is actually saving your game progress [somewhere] and that you are able to continue from where you left off when you open it from the installer, but only when you run the game's installer and open it at the end of the installation process (by leaving the option checked to open the game).

If that's a correct understanding of what is happening, then the game's data is likely being saved to a hidden/system folder on your computer. The reason for that isn't clear, since our software is designed to install to a specific location (Program Files/Virtual Families 2 for 32-bit systems or Program Files(x86)/Virtual Families 2 for 64-bit systems) and save its data in the LDW/Virtual Families 2 folder in the user's documents folder.

It's probable that the only way to find the savegame files is to search all hidden and system folders for them. You can follow the procedures in this entry in Microsoft's Community answers to see how to do that.

If you're unable to find the savegame files by expanding the search to hidden and system folders, you could try uninstalling the game and completely removing all files related to VF2, then submitting a support ticket to have Heather reactivate your download link for the full game. Don't download or install the free demo version, since we want to avoid too many "complications" in this process. Once you've downloaded the full version again, run the installer and see if it is properly set up to save its files to the correct location. If not, something in your computer's configuration is "redirecting" the game's save data to some other location. Unfortunately, we have no way to overcome or prevent that.

We figured out where the files were being saved! We have more than one user account on the computer, and the files were being saved to the administrator account rather than my own. We moved them to the correct folder and it's working on my account now.