diff --git a/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.C b/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.C
index b83f2d63..dce6f4ba 100644
--- a/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.C
+++ b/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.C
@@ -254,6 +254,25 @@ BC_Window* BatchRenderThread::new_gui()
 	return this->gui;
 }
 
+int BatchRenderThread::probe(const char *path)
+{
+	FILE *fp = fopen(path, "rb");
+	if( !fp ) return FILE_NOT_FOUND;
+	char data[16];
+	memset(data,0,sizeof(data));
+	int ret = fread(data, 1, 16, fp);
+	fclose(fp);
+	if( !ret ) return FILE_NOT_FOUND;
+
+
+	if ( !strncmp(&data[0],"<",1) &&
+	    ( !strncmp(&data[1],"EDL>",4) ||
+	        !strncmp(&data[1],"HTAL>",5) ||
+	        !strncmp(&data[1],"?xml",4) ))
+		return FILE_IS_XML;
+	return FILE_UNRECOGNIZED_CODEC;
+}
+
 
 void BatchRenderThread::load_jobs(char *path, Preferences *preferences)
 {
@@ -265,6 +284,29 @@ void BatchRenderThread::load_jobs(char *path, Preferences *preferences)
 	if( !path[0] ) create_path(path);
 	file.read_from_file(path);
 
+	int fileprobe = probe(path);
+	if (fileprobe == FILE_IS_XML) {
+
+
+	    const char *cin_version = 0;
+	    while( !file.read_tag() ) {
+		if( file.tag.title_is("EDL") ) {
+		    cin_version = file.tag.get_property("VERSION");
+		    break;
+		}
+	    }
+
+	    file.rewind();
+	    if( cin_version ) {
+		printf(_("XML file %s\n IS project from cinelerra. \n You need batchrender-specific XML as argument for -r !!!! \n"), path);
+		if (!mwindow)
+		exit(1);
+	    }
+
+	    file.rewind();
+
+
+
 	while( !result ) {
 		if( !(result = file.read_tag()) ) {
 			if( file.tag.title_is("JOBS") ) {
@@ -290,6 +332,11 @@ void BatchRenderThread::load_jobs(char *path, Preferences *preferences)
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	}
+	if (!mwindow && fileprobe != FILE_IS_XML) {
+		printf ("Not XML file! \n");
+		exit(1);
+	}
 }
 
 void BatchRenderThread::save_jobs(char *path)
@@ -458,6 +505,9 @@ int BatchRenderThread::test_edl_files()
 		int is_script = *path == '@' ? 1 : 0;
 		if( is_script ) ++path;
 		FILE *fp = fopen(path, "r");
+
+		int fileprobe = probe(path);
+
 		if( fp ) {
 			if( mwindow && !is_script ) {
 				char *bfr = 0;  size_t sz = 0;
@@ -470,7 +520,7 @@ int BatchRenderThread::test_edl_files()
 					else
 						bfr[sz] = 0;
 				}
-				if( !ret ) {
+				if( !ret && fileprobe == FILE_IS_XML) {
 					EDL *edl = new EDL; edl->create_objects();
 					XMLBuffer data(bfr, sz, 0);
 					{ FileXML file;
diff --git a/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.h b/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.h
index 57309895..c46144de 100644
--- a/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.h
+++ b/cinelerra-5.1/cinelerra/batchrender.h
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ public:
 	void reset(const char *path=0);
 // Load batch rendering jobs
 	void load_jobs(char *path, Preferences *preferences);
+	int probe(const char *path);
 // Not applicable to western civilizations
 	void save_jobs(char *path=0);
 	void load_defaults(BC_Hash *defaults);