diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index 53bfe0d52b..9bef708ab1 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2007-07-26  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
+
+	* srec.c (srec_canonicalize_symtab): Don't alloc when symcount
+	is zero.  Correct return value on error.
+	* mmo.c (mmo_canonicalize_symtab): Likewise.
+	* binary.c (binary_canonicalize_symtab) Correct return on error.
+
 2007-07-26  Thiemo Seufer  <ths@mips.com>
 
 	* bfd.c (_bfd_set_gp_value): Use abort instead of BFD_FAIL.
diff --git a/bfd/binary.c b/bfd/binary.c
index 38d0cc3fd4..c4aec2ba61 100644
--- a/bfd/binary.c
+++ b/bfd/binary.c
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ binary_canonicalize_symtab (bfd *abfd, asymbol **alocation)
 
   syms = bfd_alloc (abfd, amt);
   if (syms == NULL)
-    return 0;
+    return -1;
 
   /* Start symbol.  */
   syms[0].the_bfd = abfd;
diff --git a/bfd/mmo.c b/bfd/mmo.c
index 0d3e9633e7..c0e8082826 100644
--- a/bfd/mmo.c
+++ b/bfd/mmo.c
@@ -2097,7 +2097,7 @@ mmo_canonicalize_symtab (bfd *abfd, asymbol **alocation)
   unsigned int i;
 
   csymbols = abfd->tdata.mmo_data->csymbols;
-  if (csymbols == NULL)
+  if (csymbols == NULL && symcount != 0)
     {
       asymbol *c;
       struct mmo_symbol *s;
@@ -2119,8 +2119,8 @@ mmo_canonicalize_symtab (bfd *abfd, asymbol **alocation)
 	     mmo_sort_mmo_symbols);
 
       csymbols = (asymbol *) bfd_alloc (abfd, symcount * sizeof (asymbol));
-      if (csymbols == NULL && symcount != 0)
-	return FALSE;
+      if (csymbols == NULL)
+	return -1;
       abfd->tdata.mmo_data->csymbols = csymbols;
 
       for (msp = (struct mmo_symbol **) alocation, c = csymbols;
diff --git a/bfd/srec.c b/bfd/srec.c
index cd61cd2dc3..a5f588c231 100644
--- a/bfd/srec.c
+++ b/bfd/srec.c
@@ -1125,14 +1125,14 @@ srec_canonicalize_symtab (bfd *abfd, asymbol **alocation)
   unsigned int i;
 
   csymbols = abfd->tdata.srec_data->csymbols;
-  if (csymbols == NULL)
+  if (csymbols == NULL && symcount != 0)
     {
       asymbol *c;
       struct srec_symbol *s;
 
       csymbols = bfd_alloc (abfd, symcount * sizeof (asymbol));
-      if (csymbols == NULL && symcount != 0)
-	return 0;
+      if (csymbols == NULL)
+	return -1;
       abfd->tdata.srec_data->csymbols = csymbols;
 
       for (s = abfd->tdata.srec_data->symbols, c = csymbols;