diff --git a/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/blender.c b/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/blender.c
index 134d49cdf24..9a97d975ede 100644
--- a/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/blender.c
+++ b/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/blender.c
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
 #include "BKE_displist.h"
 #include "BKE_global.h"
 #include "BKE_idprop.h"
+#include "BKE_ipo.h"
 #include "BKE_library.h"
 #include "BKE_main.h"
 #include "BKE_node.h"
@@ -286,6 +287,11 @@ static void setup_app_data(bContext *C, BlendFileData *bfd, char *filename)
 		//setscreen(G.curscreen);
 	}
 	
+	// FIXME: this version patching should really be part of the file-reading code, 
+	// but we still get too many unrelated data-corruption crashes otherwise...
+	if (G.main->versionfile < 250)
+		do_versions_ipos_to_animato(G.main);
+	
 	if(recover && bfd->filename[0] && G.relbase_valid) {
 		/* in case of autosave or quit.blend, use original filename instead
 		 * use relbase_valid to make sure the file is saved, else we get <memory2> in the filename */
diff --git a/source/blender/blenloader/intern/readfile.c b/source/blender/blenloader/intern/readfile.c
index 50a56c74cf5..cefc6edb5a3 100644
--- a/source/blender/blenloader/intern/readfile.c
+++ b/source/blender/blenloader/intern/readfile.c
@@ -10953,13 +10953,14 @@ static void do_versions(FileData *fd, Library *lib, Main *main)
 	/* don't forget to set version number in blender.c! */
 }
 
+#if 0 // XXX: disabled for now... we still don't have this in the right place in the loading code for it to work
 static void do_versions_after_linking(FileData *fd, Library *lib, Main *main)
 {
-	/* old Animation System (using IPO's) needs to be converted to the new Animato system
-	 */
+	/* old Animation System (using IPO's) needs to be converted to the new Animato system */
 	if(main->versionfile < 250)
 		do_versions_ipos_to_animato(main);
 }
+#endif
 
 static void lib_link_all(FileData *fd, Main *main)
 {
@@ -11107,7 +11108,7 @@ BlendFileData *blo_read_file_internal(FileData *fd, const char *filename)
 	blo_join_main(&fd->mainlist);
 
 	lib_link_all(fd, bfd->main);
-	do_versions_after_linking(fd, NULL, bfd->main);
+	//do_versions_after_linking(fd, NULL, bfd->main); // XXX: not here (or even in this function at all)! this causes crashes on many files - Aligorith (July 04, 2010)
 	lib_verify_nodetree(bfd->main, 1);
 	fix_relpaths_library(fd->relabase, bfd->main); /* make all relative paths, relative to the open blend file */