diff --git a/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/DefaultProjectStoreImpl.java b/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/DefaultProjectStoreImpl.java
index b469b2f4a463..ea86661a0fb0 100644
--- a/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/DefaultProjectStoreImpl.java
+++ b/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/DefaultProjectStoreImpl.java
@@ -30,8 +30,10 @@ public class DefaultProjectStoreImpl extends ProjectStoreImpl {
     myElement = projectManager.getDefaultProjectRootElement();
   }
 
+  @Nullable
   Element getStateCopy() {
-    return (Element)myProjectManager.getDefaultProjectRootElement().clone();
+    final Element element = myProjectManager.getDefaultProjectRootElement();
+    return element != null ? (Element)element.clone() : null;
   }
 
 
diff --git a/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStoreImpl.java b/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStoreImpl.java
index 52840f9fbeae..3a9a573a0410 100644
--- a/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStoreImpl.java
+++ b/source/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStoreImpl.java
@@ -302,7 +302,9 @@ class ProjectStoreImpl extends BaseFileConfigurableStoreImpl implements IProject
     assert projectStore instanceof DefaultProjectStoreImpl;
     DefaultProjectStoreImpl defaultProjectStore = (DefaultProjectStoreImpl)projectStore;
     final Element element = defaultProjectStore.getStateCopy();
-    xmlElementStorage.setDefaultState(element);
+    if (element != null) {
+      xmlElementStorage.setDefaultState(element);
+    }
   }
 
   @NotNull