Create 2 folders whereby each of them contains an instance of vba-m.
In every folder is a separate ini file and a separate vbam.exe.
One folder is used for GB/GBC games the other folder is used for GBA games (different rom path, different save path). If a user opens a GB game within the GB/GBC folder (different settings, different rom folder path), and tries afterwards to open a gba rom in the second folder with the second vba-m version, the rom path for gba games (which is defined in the ini to the directory for gba games) is not used. Instead the folder for GB/GBC games is opened.
Means if a user is using several versions of vba-m the ini is sometimes ignored (especially if the users tries to open roms via "Open GBA Rom" or via "Open GB/GBC Rom").
Fixed this issue in svn1478 by making the emulator start from the appropriate ROM path based on the Open command selected by the user (i.e. Open, Open GB, Open GBC)
Portable mode was added in svn 1500. SVN1500 also added the ability to use relative paths in the Directories settings. Having a blank path makes the emulator use the ROM path. A relative path is relative to the closest writable directory by the user (where the exe is, where the home directory is or where the local settings are).