3ds Max :: 2012 Crash When Loading File With Container?

I have problems loading a max file. The file has several containers with external content, and it started crashing on load after I created those containers.

I tried merging the file into an empty scene, and it works if I merge everything but the containers. I also tried merging the containers alone, and that makes it crash.

I need/want to use containers, because the scene is very big, and can be quite challenging to handle. I could try using X-refs instead, but I was hoping to use containers, since it seems like a good solution in theory at least!