diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index e2f415750..91527fd46 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@ Sebastian Wicki <gandro@gmx.net>
 Dan Skorupski <dan.skorupski@gmail.com>
 Matt Gray <matthew.thomas.gray@gmail.com>
 Ian Eyberg <ian@deferpanic.com>
+Francesco Lattanzio <franz.lattanzio@gmail.com>
diff --git a/platform/hw/arch/amd64/locore.S b/platform/hw/arch/amd64/locore.S
index 1dbe90b6a..3d000d684 100644
--- a/platform/hw/arch/amd64/locore.S
+++ b/platform/hw/arch/amd64/locore.S
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ ENTRY(_start)
 
 	/* clear console */
 	pushl %eax
-	movw $0x20, %ax
+	movw $' ', %ax
 	movl $(CONS_ADDRESS), %edi
 	movl $(CONS_WIDTH*CONS_HEIGHT), %ecx
 	rep stosw
@@ -102,13 +102,13 @@ ENTRY(_start)
 
 	/* 1: enable pae and sse */
 	movl %cr4, %eax
-	orl $0x620, %eax
+	orl $(CR4_OSXMMEXCPT|CR4_OSFXSR|CR4_PAE), %eax
 	movl %eax, %cr4
 
 	/* 2: enable long mode */
-	movl $0xc0000080, %ecx
+	movl $MSR_EFER, %ecx
 	rdmsr
-	movl $0x100, %eax
+	movl $MSR_EFER_LME, %eax
 	wrmsr
 
 	/* 3: load pml4 pointer */
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ ENTRY(_start)
 
 	/* 4: enable paging */
 	movl %cr0, %eax
-	orl $0x80010001, %eax
+	orl $(CR0_PG|CR0_WP|CR0_PE), %eax
 	movl %eax, %cr0
 
 	/* 5: poetically longjump to longmode */
diff --git a/platform/hw/arch/i386/locore.S b/platform/hw/arch/i386/locore.S
index 4d6d8d2e9..3cc6d8eb0 100644
--- a/platform/hw/arch/i386/locore.S
+++ b/platform/hw/arch/i386/locore.S
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ ENTRY(_start)
 
 	/* clear console */
 	pushl %eax
-	movw $0x20, %ax
+	movw $' ', %ax
 	movl $(CONS_ADDRESS), %edi
 	movl $(CONS_WIDTH*CONS_HEIGHT), %ecx
 	rep stosw
@@ -62,6 +62,18 @@ ENTRY(_start)
 	cmpl $MULTIBOOT_BOOTLOADER_MAGIC, %eax
 	jne nomultiboot
 
+	/* test the sse feature flag */
+	movl $CPUID_01H_LEAF, %eax
+	cpuid
+	test $CPUID_01H_EDX_SSE, %edx
+	jz no_sse
+
+	/* enable sse */
+	movl %cr4, %eax
+	orl $(CR4_OSXMMEXCPT|CR4_OSFXSR), %eax
+	movl %eax, %cr4
+
+no_sse:
 	call x86_boot
 
 	jmp haltme
@@ -74,6 +86,7 @@ nomultiboot:
 	movsbl (%ebx), %eax
 	test %al, %al
 	je haltme
+
 	orl $0x500, %eax
 	movl %eax, (%ecx)
 	inc %ebx
diff --git a/platform/hw/include/arch/x86/reg.h b/platform/hw/include/arch/x86/reg.h
index 9a26b0a1c..cfa299295 100644
--- a/platform/hw/include/arch/x86/reg.h
+++ b/platform/hw/include/arch/x86/reg.h
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
+#define CPUID_01H_LEAF	0x01
+
+#define CPUID_01H_EDX_SSE	0x02000000 /* SSE Extensions */
+
+#define CR0_PG		0x80000000 /* Paging */
+#define CR0_WP		0x00010000 /* Write Protect */
+#define CR0_PE		0x00000001 /* Protection Enable */
+
+#define CR4_OSXMMEXCPT	0x00000400 /* OS support for unmasked SIMD FP exceptions */
+#define CR4_OSFXSR	0x00000200 /* OS support for FXSAVE & FXRSTOR */
+#define CR4_PAE		0x00000020 /* Physical Address Extension */
+
+/* Extended Feature Enable Register */
+#define MSR_EFER	0xc0000080
+
+#define MSR_EFER_LME	0x00000100 /* Long Mode Enable */
+
 #define PIC1_CMD	0x20
 #define PIC1_DATA	0x21
 #define PIC2_CMD	0xa0