diff --git a/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_object.c b/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_object.c
index 6b925b42e06..dd66e49fdec 100644
--- a/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_object.c
+++ b/source/blender/makesrna/intern/rna_object.c
@@ -270,11 +270,16 @@ static void rna_Base_select_update(Main *UNUSED(bmain), Scene *UNUSED(scene), Po
 static void rna_Object_layer_update__internal(Main *bmain, Scene *scene, Base *base, Object *ob)
 {
 	/* try to avoid scene sort */
-	if((ob->lay & scene->lay) && (base->lay & scene->lay)) {
+	if(scene == NULL) {
+		/* pass - unlikely but when running scripts on startup it happens */
+	}
+	else if((ob->lay & scene->lay) && (base->lay & scene->lay)) {
 		 /* pass */
-	} else if((ob->lay & scene->lay)==0 && (base->lay & scene->lay)==0) {
+	}
+	else if((ob->lay & scene->lay)==0 && (base->lay & scene->lay)==0) {
 		/* pass */
-	} else {
+	}
+	else {
 		DAG_scene_sort(bmain, scene);
 	}
 }
@@ -284,7 +289,7 @@ static void rna_Object_layer_update(Main *bmain, Scene *scene, PointerRNA *ptr)
 	Object *ob= (Object*)ptr->id.data;
 	Base *base;
 
-	base= object_in_scene(ob, scene);
+	base= scene ? object_in_scene(ob, scene) : NULL;
 	if(!base)
 		return;
 	
diff --git a/source/blender/windowmanager/intern/wm_files.c b/source/blender/windowmanager/intern/wm_files.c
index e0cfb86ce05..aabaf6d4055 100644
--- a/source/blender/windowmanager/intern/wm_files.c
+++ b/source/blender/windowmanager/intern/wm_files.c
@@ -635,8 +635,9 @@ static ImBuf *blend_file_thumb(Scene *scene, int **thumb_pt)
 	char err_out[256]= "unknown";
 
 	*thumb_pt= NULL;
-	
-	if(G.background || scene->camera==NULL)
+
+	/* scene can be NULL if running a script at startup and calling the save operator */
+	if(G.background || scene==NULL || scene->camera==NULL)
 		return NULL;
 
 	/* gets scaled to BLEN_THUMB_SIZE */