The -portable.bat works fine and I can open my db through there, but it resets my settings.
All the -portable switch does is make the program look for/save its configuration file in the installation folder rather than the Application Data directory. If there is no configuration file there, it creates a new (default) one. This is why your settings are "reset." One of the things saved in the configuration file is recently/last used database information. The fact you can avoid the error by using a new configuration file suggests there might be something wrong with this information.
So, try this...
1. Make a copy of the pvdconf.ini file in your Applications Data directory (in case this doesn't work).
2. Modify the original by deleting the [Database] section (normally located at the beginning of the file, but could be anywhere).
3. Start PVD normally (i.e.,
not with the -portable switch).
4. PVD should start with no database loaded. Use
File - Open to select the correct version of your database.
5. If the database loads, you're done. If it doesn't, restore your original pvdconf.ini, and tell us what happened.
