Strange. The patch updates the copy protection, which can possibly cause conflicts with some drives, but usually that just makes the game pop up the message to insert the play CD even when it is in the drive. Does the game crash before or after the main menu comes up and the game starts to load?
It is possible there could have been a problem during the install of the patch. Try re-installing the game, then the patch. Zip or otherwise backup your saved games folder to another location first, just in case. Then un-install, re-boot, shut down all non essential programs (especially anti-virus), re-install the game, perhaps start the game and see if the problem persists (usually not necessary, but would help identify problems cause by the patch), re-boot, shut down all non essential programs, install the patch, re-boot, shut down all non essential programs, start the game. This procedure is a bit over-cautious, but the best way to avoid install problems.
Also, try deleting all of the files in the '..\Divine Divinity\Run\Dynamic' folder.
This folder is used as a cache for the game. Files are created / copied there from the save game folder when you load, and written / copied from that folder when you save a game. The files will be re-created as required the next time you start the game. If there was a corrupt file in that folder, deleting the files should fix the problem.
BTW, some of the fan sites still have the 1.31 patch.
