public void SaveSettings(SettingsType settingsType)
        {
            if (!File.Exists(_settingsFile))
            {
                File.Create(_settingsFile);
            }

            var xmlDoc = XDocument.Load(_settingsFile);

            switch (settingsType)
            {
                case SettingsType.Measurement:
                    SaveMeasurementSettings(ref xmlDoc);
                    break;
                case SettingsType.Display:
                    SaveDisplaySettings(ref xmlDoc);
                    break;
                case SettingsType.Common:
                    SaveCommonSettings(ref xmlDoc);
                    break;
                case SettingsType.View:
                    SaveViewSettings(ref xmlDoc);
                    break;
                case SettingsType.InputChannel:
                    SaveInputChannelSettings(ref xmlDoc);
                    break;
                default:
                    break;
            }
            xmlDoc.Save(_settingsFile);
    }

public void Save(string xmlFilePath)
{
    Thread thread = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(SaveSettings));
    thread.Start(xmlFilePath);
}

private void SaveSettings(object data)
{
    string xmlFilePath;
    if ((xmlFilePath = data as string) != null)
    {
        this.SaveSettingsFile(xmlFilePath);
    }
}

private void SaveSettingsFile(string xmlFilePath)
{
    // Save the file contents
}

public class SettingsType {}

public class Settings
{
    private Thread _worker;

    public void SaveSettings(SettingsType type)
    {
        // save logic
    }

    public void BeginSaveSettings(SettingsType type)
    {
        _worker = new Thread(() => SaveSettings(type)) {IsBackground = true};
        _worker.Start();
    }

    public bool EndSaveSettings(TimeSpan timeOut)
    {
        return _worker.Join(timeOut);
    }
}