diff --git a/src/arch/i386/Config b/src/arch/i386/Config
index 436917f8..b4335b39 100644
--- a/src/arch/i386/Config
+++ b/src/arch/i386/Config
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ endif
 # this is almost always a win. the kernel uses it, too.
 CFLAGS+= -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2
 
-LDFLAGS+=	-N
+LDFLAGS+=	-N --no-check-sections
 
 ifeq "$(shell uname -s)" "FreeBSD"
 CFLAGS+=	-DIMAGE_FREEBSD -DELF_IMAGE -DAOUT_IMAGE
diff --git a/src/arch/i386/include/librm.h b/src/arch/i386/include/librm.h
index 9e9498cb..e583055e 100644
--- a/src/arch/i386/include/librm.h
+++ b/src/arch/i386/include/librm.h
@@ -27,6 +27,14 @@ extern char *text16;
 	__attribute__ (( section ( ".data16" ) ))			\
 	_data16_ ## variable array __asm__ ( #variable )
 
+#define __bss16( variable )						\
+	__attribute__ (( section ( ".bss16" ) ))			\
+	_data16_ ## variable __asm__ ( #variable )
+
+#define __bss16_array( variable, array )				\
+	__attribute__ (( section ( ".bss16" ) ))			\
+	_data16_ ## variable array __asm__ ( #variable )
+
 #define __text16( variable )						\
 	__attribute__ (( section ( ".text16.data" ) ))			\
 	_text16_ ## variable __asm__ ( #variable )