How to use .NET configuration files (app.config, settings.settings) to save and restore all application data?

Question

Although there are a lot of posts about .net config files, I believe that my requirements do not allow for any of the solutions proposed (or I don\'t understand the process

Answer 1

Since I did not receive any other answers and was not happy with my previous solution, I asked the question again, did some more research, and was able to come up with a better answer. See How to load a separate Application Settings file dynamically and merge with current settings? for the code and explanation.