diff --git a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
index 07b8d03d043..bcdd49239cc 100644
--- a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ void menu_select_game::populate(float &customtop, float &custombottom)
 		item_append(_("System Settings"), 0, (void *)(uintptr_t)CONF_MACHINE);
 		skip_main_items = 3;
 
-		if (m_prev_selected && !have_prev_selected)
+		if (m_prev_selected && !have_prev_selected && item_count() > 0)
 			m_prev_selected = item(0).ref();
 	}
 	else
diff --git a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
index da4ad722f2f..051b09b4fcf 100644
--- a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ menu_select_software::~menu_select_software()
 
 void menu_select_software::handle(event const *ev)
 {
-	if (m_prev_selected == nullptr)
+	if (m_prev_selected == nullptr && item_count() > 0)
 		m_prev_selected = item(0).ref();
 
 	// FIXME: everything above here used run before events were processed