title: Why are persisted user settings not loaded?
body: <p>I have a windows application that uses an assembly that stores some configuration settings in the default application settings.</p>
  
  <p>The settings can be changed in run time and are persisted thus:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Properties.Settings.Default.SelectedCOMPort = options.SelectedCOMPort;
  Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The settings are saved correctly and I confirm this by looking at the user.config file saved in the users application directory E.g.</p>
  
  <pre><code>C:\Documents and Settings\e399536\Local Settings\Application Data\MyCompany\MyTool
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However when the tool is closed and then started again all the settings are loaded with their default values.</p>
  
  <p>Checking the user.config file once the application is running confirms that the settings are still as saved.</p>
  
  <p>The settings are loaded thus:</p>
  
  <pre><code>options.SelectedCOMPort = Properties.Settings.Default.SelectedCOMPort;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Why are the default settings being used and not the saved ones?</p>
  
  <p>Have I missed something??</p>
  
  <p>@ Tenaciouslmpy
  The settings are loaded during the constructor of the assembly, which itself is loaded in the form load event of the main assembly.</p>
  
  <p>@ Austin
  This is a standalone app that I am debugging in Visual Studio.</p>