The correct name for ERRORLEVEL would be return code. But since the DOS command to determine the return code is IF ERRORLEVEL, most people use the name ERRORLEVEL.
ERRORLEVEL is not a standard feature of every command. A certain ERRORLEVEL may mean anything the programmer wanted it to. Most programmers agree that an ERRORLEVEL 0 means the command executed successfully, and an ERRORLEVEL 1 or higher usually spells trouble.
IF ERRORLEVEL construction has one strange feature, it returns TRUE if the return code was equal to or higher than the specified ERRORLEVEL.
This means most of the times we only need to check IF ERRORLEVEL 1 … and this will return TRUE for every non-zero return code.
If you want to check the exact value of the return code, you should use IF %ERRORLEVEL%==0.
The following information is the ERRORLEVEL of The common commands.
ATTRIB.EXE
(a) Target file/folder not found = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) Sharing violation (target file in use) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Invalid drive specification = ERRORLEVEL 1
(e) Drive not ready (either Abort or Fail reply) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(f) Invalid/wrong number of parameters = ERRORLEVEL 1
CHOICE.COM
(a) With reply list, and reply nn in list = ERRORLEVEL nn
(This reply list position = return code is main use of CHOICE)
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 255
(c) Invalid switch syntax = ERRORLEVEL 255
(d) Timeout default not in reply list = ERRORLEVEL 255
(e) choice /? = ERRORLEVEL 255
CSCRIPT.EXE
(a) Cannot find script file = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) No script engine for file extension = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) No file extension in script file = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Drive not ready = ERRORLEVEL 1
(There is no Abort, Retry, Fail stall)
DELTREE.EXE
(a) Required parameter missing = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) deltree /? = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Not ready reading drive (Abort reply) = ERRORLEVEL 18
(Note: Fail reply returns ERRORLEVEL 0)
EXTRACT.EXE
(a) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
FC.EXE
(a) Insufficient number of filespecs = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Too many filenames on command line = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) Sharing Violation + Abort reply = ERRORLEVEL 5
(Note: Fail reply returns ERRORLEVEL 0)
(d) Drive not ready = ERRORLEVEL 18
(Note: Fail reply returns ERRORLEVEL 0)
FIND.EXE
(a) Target string found (=f0und) = ERRORLEVEL 0
(b) Target string missing (=m1ssing) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) find /? = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Parameter format not correct = ERRORLEVEL 2
(e) Specified file to search not found = ERRORLEVEL 2
(f) Specified file in use + Fail reply = ERRORLEVEL 2
(g) Drive not ready + Fail reply = ERRORLEVEL 2
(h) Specified file in use + Abort reply = ERRORLEVEL 5
(i) Drive not ready + Abort reply = ERRORLEVEL 5
FORMAT.COM
(a) Drive not ready = ERRORLEVEL 4
(There is no Abort, Retry, Fail stall)
FTP.EXE
(a) Brief help (use: ftp -h for Brief help) = ERRORLEVEL 2
(b) Error opening script file (file missing) = ERRORLEVEL 2
(c) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 2
KEYB.COM
(a) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid keyboard code specified = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) keyb /? = ERRORLEVEL 1
MEM.EXE
(a) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
MODE.COM
(a) Invalid parameter = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
MORE.COM
(a) Invalid switch (MORE doesn't accept switches) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Drive not ready (Abort reply) = ERRORLELEL 5
(Note: Fail reply returns ERRORLEVEL 0)
MOVE.EXE
(a) Required parameter missing = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Unable to create destination = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) Unable to open source = ERRORLEVEL 1
(you see this when trying to MOVE a folder from one drive
to another. You need to use XCOPY /S followed by DELTREE,
since MOVE won't handle folder moves across drives)
(d) Sharing violation + Fail reply = ERRORLEVEL 1
(Note: file is nevertheless COPIED, not moved, in this case)
(e) Sharing violation + Abort reply = ERRORLEVEL 5
(Note: file is nevertheless COPIED, not moved, in this case)
(f) Drive not ready (Abort reply) = ERRORLEVEL 18
(Note: Fail reply - unusually - returns ERRORLEVEL 1)
PING.EXE
(a) Unknown host = ERRORLEVEL 1
(usually=name not found on DomainNameServer)
(b) Brief help (with no parameter) = ERRORLEVEL 1
Note: for PING Brief help with /? switch, ERRORLEVEL is 0
(c) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(and displays the Brief help as well)
(d) Interrupted with [Ctrl-C] = ERRORLEVEL 255
SORT.EXE
(a) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Drive not ready (Abort reply) = ERRORLEVEL 15
(Note: Fail reply returns ERRORLEVEL 0)
START.EXE
(a) start /? (real mode) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) start /? (GUI) = ERRORLEVEL 255
(c) Can't find file specified for START = ERRORLEVEL 255
(d) No file association for specified file = ERRORLEVEL 255
(e) Drive not ready = ERRORLEVEL 255
(There is no Abort, Retry, Fail stall)
SUBST.EXE
(a) Invalid parameter = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) Path not found = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Drive not ready (Abort reply) = ERRORLEVEL 21
(Note: Fail reply - unusually - returns ERRORLEVEL 1)
TRACERT.EXE
(a) Unable to resolve target system name = ERRORLEVEL 1
(usually=name not found on DomainNameServer)
(b) Invalid switch = ERRORLEVEL 1
(c) Brief help (no parameter) = ERRORLEVEL 1
(d) Interrupted with [Ctrl-C] = ERRORLEVEL 255
Note: for TRACERT Brief help, type command without parameters
XCOPY.EXE
(a) File not found = ERRORLEVEL 1
(b) Invalid date in /d switch = ERRORLEVEL 4
(c) Invalid number of parameters = ERRORLEVEL 4
(d) Invalid parameter = ERRORLEVEL 4
(e) Device not ready = ERRORLEVEL 4
(f) Unable to create directory = ERRORLEVEL 4
(g) System can't find file = ERRORLEVEL 5
(this occurs when device such as NUL is used as Source file
