diff --git a/src/base/loader/elf_object.cc b/src/base/loader/elf_object.cc
index edaf323c7..16fc698dd 100644
--- a/src/base/loader/elf_object.cc
+++ b/src/base/loader/elf_object.cc
@@ -89,10 +89,10 @@ ElfObject::tryFile(const string &fname, int fd, size_t len, uint8_t *data)
             }
         } else if (ehdr.e_machine == EM_X86_64 &&
                 ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] == ELFCLASS64) {
-            //In the future, we might want to differentiate between 32 bit
-            //and 64 bit x86 processes in case there are differences in their
-            //initial stack frame.
-            arch = ObjectFile::X86;
+            arch = ObjectFile::X86_64;
+        } else if (ehdr.e_machine == EM_386 &&
+                ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] == ELFCLASS32) {
+            arch = ObjectFile::I386;
         } else if (ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] == ELFCLASS64) {
             arch = ObjectFile::Alpha;
         } else if (ehdr.e_machine == EM_ARM) {
diff --git a/src/base/loader/object_file.hh b/src/base/loader/object_file.hh
index cc806ca81..d363cde84 100644
--- a/src/base/loader/object_file.hh
+++ b/src/base/loader/object_file.hh
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ class ObjectFile
         SPARC64,
         SPARC32,
         Mips,
-        X86,
+        X86_64,
+        I386,
         Arm
     };
 
diff --git a/src/sim/process.cc b/src/sim/process.cc
index b335d0cf2..7383611c0 100644
--- a/src/sim/process.cc
+++ b/src/sim/process.cc
@@ -708,14 +708,19 @@ LiveProcess::create(LiveProcessParams * params)
         fatal("Unknown/unsupported operating system.");
     }
 #elif THE_ISA == X86_ISA
-    if (objFile->getArch() != ObjectFile::X86)
+    if (objFile->getArch() != ObjectFile::X86_64 &&
+        objFile->getArch() != ObjectFile::I386)
         fatal("Object file architecture does not match compiled ISA (x86).");
     switch (objFile->getOpSys()) {
       case ObjectFile::UnknownOpSys:
         warn("Unknown operating system; assuming Linux.");
         // fall through
       case ObjectFile::Linux:
-        process = new X86LinuxProcess(params, objFile);
+        if (objFile->getArch() == ObjectFile::X86_64) {
+            process = new X86LinuxProcess(params, objFile);
+        } else {
+            panic("32 bit x86 Linux process aren't implemented.\n");
+        }
         break;
 
       default: