diff --git a/gdb/coff-pe-read.c b/gdb/coff-pe-read.c
index b82b43c84cf..34360eb72f1 100644
--- a/gdb/coff-pe-read.c
+++ b/gdb/coff-pe-read.c
@@ -254,23 +254,31 @@ read_pe_truncate_name (char *dll_name)
 
 /* Low-level support functions, direct from the ld module pe-dll.c.  */
 static unsigned int
-pe_get16 (bfd *abfd, int where)
+pe_get16 (bfd *abfd, int where, bool *fail)
 {
   unsigned char b[2];
 
-  bfd_seek (abfd, (file_ptr) where, SEEK_SET);
-  bfd_read (b, (bfd_size_type) 2, abfd);
+  if (bfd_seek (abfd, where, SEEK_SET) != 0
+      || bfd_read (b, 2, abfd) != 2)
+    {
+      *fail = true;
+      return 0;
+    }
   return b[0] + (b[1] << 8);
 }
 
 static unsigned int
-pe_get32 (bfd *abfd, int where)
+pe_get32 (bfd *abfd, int where, bool *fail)
 {
   unsigned char b[4];
 
-  bfd_seek (abfd, (file_ptr) where, SEEK_SET);
-  bfd_read (b, (bfd_size_type) 4, abfd);
-  return b[0] + (b[1] << 8) + (b[2] << 16) + (b[3] << 24);
+  if (bfd_seek (abfd, where, SEEK_SET) != 0
+      || bfd_read (b, 4, abfd) != 4)
+    {
+      *fail = true;
+      return 0;
+    }
+  return b[0] + (b[1] << 8) + (b[2] << 16) + ((unsigned) b[3] << 24);
 }
 
 static unsigned int
@@ -286,7 +294,7 @@ pe_as32 (void *ptr)
 {
   unsigned char *b = (unsigned char *) ptr;
 
-  return b[0] + (b[1] << 8) + (b[2] << 16) + (b[3] << 24);
+  return b[0] + (b[1] << 8) + (b[2] << 16) + ((unsigned) b[3] << 24);
 }
 
 /* Read the (non-debug) export symbol table from a portable
@@ -340,32 +348,46 @@ read_pe_exported_syms (minimal_symbol_reader &reader,
       /* This is not a recognized PE format file.  Abort now, because
 	 the code is untested on anything else.  *FIXME* test on
 	 further architectures and loosen or remove this test.  */
+    notdll:
+      if (debug_coff_pe_read)
+	gdb_printf (gdb_stdlog, _("%s doesn't appear to be a DLL\n"),
+		    bfd_get_filename (dll));
       return;
     }
 
   /* Get pe_header, optional header and numbers of export entries.  */
-  pe_header_offset = pe_get32 (dll, 0x3c);
+  bool fail = false;
+  pe_header_offset = pe_get32 (dll, 0x3c, &fail);
+  if (fail)
+    goto notdll;
   opthdr_ofs = pe_header_offset + 4 + 20;
   if (is_pe64)
-    num_entries = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 108);
+    num_entries = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 108, &fail);
   else
-    num_entries = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 92);
+    num_entries = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 92, &fail);
+  if (fail)
+    goto notdll;
 
   if (num_entries < 1)		/* No exports.  */
     return;
   if (is_pe64)
     {
-      export_opthdrrva = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 112);
-      export_opthdrsize = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 116);
+      export_opthdrrva = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 112, &fail);
+      export_opthdrsize = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 116, &fail);
     }
   else
     {
-      export_opthdrrva = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 96);
-      export_opthdrsize = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 100);
+      export_opthdrrva = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 96, &fail);
+      export_opthdrsize = pe_get32 (dll, opthdr_ofs + 100, &fail);
     }
-  nsections = pe_get16 (dll, pe_header_offset + 4 + 2);
+  if (fail)
+    goto notdll;
+
+  nsections = pe_get16 (dll, pe_header_offset + 4 + 2, &fail);
   secptr = (pe_header_offset + 4 + 20 +
-	    pe_get16 (dll, pe_header_offset + 4 + 16));
+	    pe_get16 (dll, pe_header_offset + 4 + 16, &fail));
+  if (fail)
+    goto notdll;
   expptr = 0;
   export_size = 0;
 
@@ -374,12 +396,13 @@ read_pe_exported_syms (minimal_symbol_reader &reader,
     {
       char sname[8];
       unsigned long secptr1 = secptr + 40 * i;
-      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 12);
-      unsigned long vsize = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 16);
-      unsigned long fptr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 20);
+      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 12, &fail);
+      unsigned long vsize = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 16, &fail);
+      unsigned long fptr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 20, &fail);
 
-      bfd_seek (dll, (file_ptr) secptr1, SEEK_SET);
-      bfd_read (sname, (bfd_size_type) sizeof (sname), dll);
+      if (fail
+	  || bfd_seek (dll, secptr1, SEEK_SET) != 0
+	  || bfd_read (sname, sizeof (sname), dll) != sizeof (sname))
 
       if ((strcmp (sname, ".edata") == 0)
 	  || (vaddr <= export_opthdrrva && export_opthdrrva < vaddr + vsize))
@@ -420,16 +443,18 @@ read_pe_exported_syms (minimal_symbol_reader &reader,
   for (i = 0; i < nsections; i++)
     {
       unsigned long secptr1 = secptr + 40 * i;
-      unsigned long vsize = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 8);
-      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 12);
-      unsigned long characteristics = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 36);
+      unsigned long vsize = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 8, &fail);
+      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 12, &fail);
+      unsigned long characteristics = pe_get32 (dll, secptr1 + 36, &fail);
       char sec_name[SCNNMLEN + 1];
       int sectix;
       unsigned int bfd_section_index;
       asection *section;
 
-      bfd_seek (dll, (file_ptr) secptr1 + 0, SEEK_SET);
-      bfd_read (sec_name, (bfd_size_type) SCNNMLEN, dll);
+      if (fail
+	  || bfd_seek (dll, secptr1 + 0, SEEK_SET) != 0
+	  || bfd_read (sec_name, SCNNMLEN, dll) != SCNNMLEN)
+	goto notdll;
       sec_name[SCNNMLEN] = '\0';
 
       sectix = read_pe_section_index (sec_name);
@@ -468,8 +493,9 @@ read_pe_exported_syms (minimal_symbol_reader &reader,
   gdb::def_vector<unsigned char> expdata_storage (export_size);
   expdata = expdata_storage.data ();
 
-  bfd_seek (dll, (file_ptr) expptr, SEEK_SET);
-  bfd_read (expdata, (bfd_size_type) export_size, dll);
+  if (bfd_seek (dll, expptr, SEEK_SET) != 0
+      || bfd_read (expdata, export_size, dll) != export_size)
+    goto notdll;
   erva = expdata - export_rva;
 
   nexp = pe_as32 (expdata + 24);
@@ -626,20 +652,27 @@ pe_text_section_offset (struct bfd *abfd)
     }
 
   /* Get pe_header, optional header and numbers of sections.  */
-  pe_header_offset = pe_get32 (abfd, 0x3c);
-  nsections = pe_get16 (abfd, pe_header_offset + 4 + 2);
+  bool fail = false;
+  pe_header_offset = pe_get32 (abfd, 0x3c, &fail);
+  if (fail)
+    return DEFAULT_COFF_PE_TEXT_SECTION_OFFSET;
+  nsections = pe_get16 (abfd, pe_header_offset + 4 + 2, &fail);
   secptr = (pe_header_offset + 4 + 20 +
-	    pe_get16 (abfd, pe_header_offset + 4 + 16));
+	    pe_get16 (abfd, pe_header_offset + 4 + 16, &fail));
+  if (fail)
+    return DEFAULT_COFF_PE_TEXT_SECTION_OFFSET;
 
   /* Get the rva and size of the export section.  */
   for (i = 0; i < nsections; i++)
     {
       char sname[SCNNMLEN + 1];
       unsigned long secptr1 = secptr + 40 * i;
-      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (abfd, secptr1 + 12);
+      unsigned long vaddr = pe_get32 (abfd, secptr1 + 12, &fail);
 
-      bfd_seek (abfd, (file_ptr) secptr1, SEEK_SET);
-      bfd_read (sname, (bfd_size_type) SCNNMLEN, abfd);
+      if (fail
+	  || bfd_seek (abfd, secptr1, SEEK_SET) != 0
+	  || bfd_read (sname, SCNNMLEN, abfd) != SCNNMLEN)
+	return DEFAULT_COFF_PE_TEXT_SECTION_OFFSET;
       sname[SCNNMLEN] = '\0';
       if (strcmp (sname, ".text") == 0)
 	return vaddr;
diff --git a/gdb/coffread.c b/gdb/coffread.c
index 583db6bceb0..6a995ae2241 100644
--- a/gdb/coffread.c
+++ b/gdb/coffread.c
@@ -711,8 +711,6 @@ coff_symfile_read (struct objfile *objfile, symfile_add_flags symfile_flags)
 
       /* FIXME: dubious.  Why can't we use something normal like
 	 bfd_get_section_contents?  */
-      bfd_seek (abfd, abfd->where, 0);
-
       stabstrsize = bfd_section_size (info->stabstrsect);
 
       coffstab_build_psymtabs (objfile,
@@ -807,22 +805,6 @@ coff_symtab_read (minimal_symbol_reader &reader,
 
   scoped_free_pendings free_pending;
 
-  /* Work around a stdio bug in SunOS4.1.1 (this makes me nervous....
-     it's hard to know I've really worked around it.  The fix should
-     be harmless, anyway).  The symptom of the bug is that the first
-     fread (in read_one_sym), will (in my example) actually get data
-     from file offset 268, when the fseek was to 264 (and ftell shows
-     264).  This causes all hell to break loose.  I was unable to
-     reproduce this on a short test program which operated on the same
-     file, performing (I think) the same sequence of operations.
-
-     It stopped happening when I put in this (former) rewind().
-
-     FIXME: Find out if this has been reported to Sun, whether it has
-     been fixed in a later release, etc.  */
-
-  bfd_seek (objfile->obfd.get (), 0, 0);
-
   /* Position to read the symbol table.  */
   val = bfd_seek (objfile->obfd.get (), symtab_offset, 0);
   if (val < 0)
@@ -1308,12 +1290,13 @@ init_stringtab (bfd *abfd, file_ptr offset, gdb::unique_xmalloc_ptr<char> *stora
   if (bfd_seek (abfd, offset, 0) < 0)
     return -1;
 
-  val = bfd_read ((char *) lengthbuf, sizeof lengthbuf, abfd);
-  length = bfd_h_get_32 (symfile_bfd, lengthbuf);
-
+  val = bfd_read (lengthbuf, sizeof lengthbuf, abfd);
   /* If no string table is needed, then the file may end immediately
      after the symbols.  Just return with `stringtab' set to null.  */
-  if (val != sizeof lengthbuf || length < sizeof lengthbuf)
+  if (val != sizeof lengthbuf)
+    return 0;
+  length = bfd_h_get_32 (symfile_bfd, lengthbuf);
+  if (length < sizeof lengthbuf)
     return 0;
 
   storage->reset ((char *) xmalloc (length));
diff --git a/gdb/dbxread.c b/gdb/dbxread.c
index 75bbd510155..ddc61d9d539 100644
--- a/gdb/dbxread.c
+++ b/gdb/dbxread.c
@@ -809,7 +809,8 @@ stabs_seek (int sym_offset)
       symbuf_left -= sym_offset;
     }
   else
-    bfd_seek (symfile_bfd, sym_offset, SEEK_CUR);
+    if (bfd_seek (symfile_bfd, sym_offset, SEEK_CUR) != 0)
+      perror_with_name (bfd_get_filename (symfile_bfd));
 }
 
 #define INTERNALIZE_SYMBOL(intern, extern, abfd)			\
@@ -2155,8 +2156,8 @@ dbx_expand_psymtab (legacy_psymtab *pst, struct objfile *objfile)
       symbol_size = SYMBOL_SIZE (pst);
 
       /* Read in this file's symbols.  */
-      bfd_seek (objfile->obfd.get (), SYMBOL_OFFSET (pst), SEEK_SET);
-      read_ofile_symtab (objfile, pst);
+      if (bfd_seek (objfile->obfd.get (), SYMBOL_OFFSET (pst), SEEK_SET) == 0)
+	read_ofile_symtab (objfile, pst);
     }
 
   pst->readin = true;
diff --git a/gdb/xcoffread.c b/gdb/xcoffread.c
index 8ce4b28d133..63eb538ca05 100644
--- a/gdb/xcoffread.c
+++ b/gdb/xcoffread.c
@@ -779,8 +779,9 @@ enter_line_range (struct subfile *subfile, unsigned beginoffset,
 
   while (curoffset <= limit_offset)
     {
-      bfd_seek (abfd, curoffset, SEEK_SET);
-      bfd_read (ext_lnno, linesz, abfd);
+      if (bfd_seek (abfd, curoffset, SEEK_SET) != 0
+	  || bfd_read (ext_lnno, linesz, abfd) != linesz)
+	return;
       bfd_coff_swap_lineno_in (abfd, ext_lnno, &int_lnno);
 
       /* Find the address this line represents.  */
