Index: ddd/options.C
===================================================================
--- ddd/options.C	(revision 6900)
+++ ddd/options.C	(revision 7117)
@@ -2347,6 +2347,15 @@
     const bool save_geometry = (flags & SAVE_GEOMETRY);
     const bool interact      = (flags & MAY_INTERACT);
 
+    if (find_shell() == 0) {
+	// We cannot use *_app_value() because we have no shell
+	// available.  Presumably we have been called from an error
+	// handler very early in program startup.
+	if (interact)
+	    post_error("Cannot save options", "options_save_error");
+	return false;
+    }
+
     string session = 
 	(save_session ? app_data.session : DEFAULT_SESSION.chars());
 
Index: ddd/post.C
===================================================================
--- ddd/post.C	(revision 6900)
+++ ddd/post.C	(revision 7117)
@@ -355,7 +355,9 @@
     dddlog << "!  " << text << '\n';
     dddlog.flush();
 
-    if (ddd_is_exiting)
+    // If error occurs very early, we may not even have a command
+    // shell...
+    if (ddd_is_exiting || find_shell(w) == 0)
     {
 	std::cerr << ddd_NAME << ": " << text << "\n";
 	return 0;
Index: ddd/file.C
===================================================================
--- ddd/file.C	(revision 6900)
+++ ddd/file.C	(revision 7117)
@@ -683,6 +683,16 @@
       running(false),
       state()
 {
+    if (!source_view || !gdb) {
+	post_error("Cannot create ProgramInfo, no source view.",
+		   "no_source_error");
+	return;
+    }
+    if (!source_view || !gdb) {
+	post_error("Cannot create ProgramInfo, no debugger agent.\n",
+		   "gdb_io_error");
+	return;
+    }
     if (source_view->have_exec_pos())
     {
 	state = "has stopped";