diff --git a/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/reduction/sans/eqsans_data_proxy.py b/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/reduction/sans/eqsans_data_proxy.py
index 2a4ec50242e3de6966f8572b63502563c81b7a35..b302fba19428f0b63e80a8377fbcee9dc7f7d1a5 100755
--- a/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/reduction/sans/eqsans_data_proxy.py
+++ b/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/reduction/sans/eqsans_data_proxy.py
@@ -19,13 +19,17 @@ class DataProxy(object):
     def __init__(self, data_file, workspace_name=None):
         self.errors = []
         if HAS_MANTID:
-            print "loading", data_file
             try:
                 if workspace_name is None:
                     self.data_ws = "__raw_data_file"
                 else:
                     self.data_ws = str(workspace_name)
-                LoadEventNexus(Filename=data_file, OutputWorkspace=workspace_name)
+                try:
+                    LoadEventNexus(Filename=data_file, OutputWorkspace=workspace_name)
+                except:
+                    self.errors.append("Error loading data file as Nexus event file:\n%s" % sys.exc_value)
+                    LoadNexus(Filename=data_file, OutputWorkspace=workspace_name)
+                    self.errors = []
             except:
                 self.data_ws = None
                 self.errors.append("Error loading data file:\n%s" % sys.exc_value)
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/widgets/base_widget.py b/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/widgets/base_widget.py
index 17606b813fa43e2a2b48ee868fa81d272dda23c2..7f6af0ebd00c3a54bce4d5429190876a4f30be7e 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/widgets/base_widget.py
+++ b/Code/Mantid/scripts/Interface/reduction_gui/widgets/base_widget.py
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ class BaseWidget(QtGui.QWidget):
         
         # Check that the file exists.
         if not os.path.exists(file_name):
-            QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self.widgets[0], "File Not Found", "The supplied mask file can't be found on the file system")
+            QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self, "File Not Found", "The supplied mask file can't be found on the file system")
             
         if self._data_proxy is not None:
             proxy = self._data_proxy(file_name, workspace)
@@ -169,8 +169,8 @@ class BaseWidget(QtGui.QWidget):
                     MaskDetectors(proxy.data_ws, DetectorList=mask)
                 _show_ws_instrument(proxy.data_ws)
             else:
-                QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self.widgets[0], "Mask Error", "Mantid doesn't know how to load this file")
+                QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self, "Mask Error", "Mantid doesn't know how to load this file")
         else:
-            QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self.widgets[0], "Mask Error", "Mantid doesn't know how to load this file")
+            QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self, "Mask Error", "Mantid doesn't know how to load this file")