diff --speed-large-files --minimal -Nru xfce4-panel-4.4.0.orig/panel/panel-item-manager.c xfce4-panel-4.4.0/panel/panel-item-manager.c
--- xfce4-panel-4.4.0.orig/panel/panel-item-manager.c	2007-01-20 17:33:00.000000000 +0100
+++ xfce4-panel-4.4.0/panel/panel-item-manager.c	2007-02-18 13:04:29.944097000 +0100
@@ -256,9 +256,13 @@
 
             if ((value = xfce_rc_read_entry (rc, "Comment", NULL)))
                 class->comment = g_strdup (value);
+            else
+                class->comment = g_strdup ("");
 
             if ((value = xfce_rc_read_entry (rc, "Icon", NULL)))
                 class->icon = g_strdup (value);
+            else
+                class->icon = g_strdup ("");
 
             class->unique = 
                 xfce_rc_read_bool_entry (rc, "X-XFCE-Unique", FALSE);
@@ -296,7 +300,12 @@
     }
     else
     {
-        dirs = xfce_resource_dirs (XFCE_RESOURCE_DATA);
+        dirs = xfce_resource_dirs (XFCE_RESOURCE_DATA);	
+        if (dirs == NULL)
+        {
+            DBG ("xfce_resource_dirs returns NULL pointer. Exiting from update_plugin_list"); 
+            return;
+        }
     }
     
     for (d = dirs; *d != NULL || !datadir_used; ++d)
@@ -313,6 +322,12 @@
             dirname = g_build_filename (DATADIR, "xfce4", "panel-plugins", 
                                         NULL);
             datadir_used = TRUE;
+            if (dirs == NULL)
+            {
+                DBG ("g_build_filename returns NULL pointer. Exiting from update_plugin_list"); 
+                g_strfreev (dirs);
+                return;
+            }
         }
         else
         {
@@ -323,6 +338,13 @@
         }
         
         gdir = g_dir_open (dirname, 0, NULL);
+        if (dirs == NULL)
+        {
+            DBG ("g_dir_open(%s) returns NULL pointer. Exiting from update_plugin_list", dirname); 
+            g_free (dirname);
+            g_strfreev (dirs);
+            return;
+        }
 
         DBG (" + directory: %s", dirname);