The meter data is kept in the meters.xml file which should be written in the same folder as Barbecue.exe.  As for the crashing issue, Barbecue isn't an app I use personally so how long does it, typically, take for it to crash?  Also, I don't have Windows 8, only Windows 7.

I hope skwire won't mind me mentioning my program which is somewhat similar, Progress Bars of Life: http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/pbol/index.html

Shameless!    Hahahahaha...the more, the merrier. 

Please give this interim build a try: http://skwire.dcmembers.com/apps/barbecue/Barbecue_v1.1.7.zip

I didn't make any procedural changes but I did update a lot of structural stuff.  Make a backup of your current Barbecue folder and try this for a couple of days.  Let me know how it goes, please.

Didn't see this version on the download page a week or two back. Will give it a go. 

It wasn't there.  I reworked the code and uploaded the new build right before my last post.