You changed the path from:
qBittorrentPortable\Data\settings\AppData_qBittorrent
toqBittorrentPortable\Data\qBittorrent\config
qBittorrentPortable\Data\settings\LocalAppData_qBittorrent
toqBittorrentPortable\Data\qBittorrent\data
These changes can cause users to lose their old data and settings.
The installer moves these files automatically on upgrade from an older version. The move is so the profile switch can be used and the settings don't have to be moved to and from the local paths: https://portableapps.com/node/71406
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
This upgrade logic has problems with destructive upgrades when the target program has not exited properly (e.g. power failure).
I recommend that for all future upgrade packages, first check to see if the target program has completed the normal exit procedure before proceeding with the update. If the program has not exited properly, complete the exit procedure before installing the update.
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If a power outage occurred while qBittorrent was running and then you upgraded before running it again, only the changes made in the last session would be lost. The stuff you had prior to that would be preserved and updated path wise to the new locations. So, in this highly unlikely scenario, you'd only lose the last bits of stuff from torrenting that session. Are you saying this exact scenario happened to you? If so, you could manually copy the files from the local locations into the portable locations.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
It made me think that I had somehow lost data again, and then I tried to scan the disk, etc. to recover the data.
Only to finally realize it was a change in mapping that caused the data not to apply.
Since it is possible to trigger the update program when the platform starts up. Therefore, it stands to reason that all users who experience similar power outages or unintentional program shutdowns for whatever reason will run into problems like this. It's definitely not a low probability event.
No M$! - Open your source! Make people's lives easier!