Save and state directory path issue

Hi, haven’t used my Nvidia Shield Portable in a while, but wanted to play some classics the other day, so I dusted it off, updated Retroarch from 1.2.2 to the latest, and now my directory path for both saves and states keep reverting to default (I have them set to my external SD card). i read up and saw mention of the change and followed the instruction here:

-Navigate to Settings / User Interface -Enable Show Advanced Settings -Navigate to Settings / Saving -Enable the respective settings among the last four settings for the stuff you want to reside with your content

Even when I turned on write to content directory, it still keeps reverting and won’t allow me to load my states. I also tried loading up a core and game, then change the directory paths, then in quick menu - save core override, but this didn’t let my changes stick also. This was never an issue with 1.2.2 so I know it’s not Android (5.1 Lollipop - the last firmware issued by Nvidia for the Portable) preventing me from writing to my external sd card. And just to double check, I re-installed RA 1.2.2, and I can confirm that changing directory paths for save and state does indeed stick. I’d appreciate any help in figuring this out. Thanks!