diff --git a/sys/powerpc/aim/machdep.c b/sys/powerpc/aim/machdep.c
index 4e9176643ada..81fb604a8b2f 100644
--- a/sys/powerpc/aim/machdep.c
+++ b/sys/powerpc/aim/machdep.c
@@ -267,9 +267,7 @@ powerpc_init(u_int startkernel, u_int endkernel, u_int basekernel, void *mdp)
 	 */
 	if (mdp != NULL) {
 		preload_metadata = mdp;
-		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf32 kernel");
-		if (kmdp == NULL)
-			kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
+		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
 		if (kmdp != NULL) {
 			boothowto = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_HOWTO, int);
 			kern_envp = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_ENVP, char *);
diff --git a/sys/powerpc/powerpc/machdep.c b/sys/powerpc/powerpc/machdep.c
index 4e9176643ada..81fb604a8b2f 100644
--- a/sys/powerpc/powerpc/machdep.c
+++ b/sys/powerpc/powerpc/machdep.c
@@ -267,9 +267,7 @@ powerpc_init(u_int startkernel, u_int endkernel, u_int basekernel, void *mdp)
 	 */
 	if (mdp != NULL) {
 		preload_metadata = mdp;
-		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf32 kernel");
-		if (kmdp == NULL)
-			kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
+		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
 		if (kmdp != NULL) {
 			boothowto = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_HOWTO, int);
 			kern_envp = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_ENVP, char *);
diff --git a/sys/sparc64/sparc64/machdep.c b/sys/sparc64/sparc64/machdep.c
index 3865f03a6517..6cf0f6af2df8 100644
--- a/sys/sparc64/sparc64/machdep.c
+++ b/sys/sparc64/sparc64/machdep.c
@@ -242,9 +242,7 @@ sparc64_init(caddr_t mdp, u_long o1, u_long o2, u_long o3, ofw_vec_t *vec)
 	 */
 	if (mdp != NULL) {
 		preload_metadata = mdp;
-		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf64 kernel");
-		if (kmdp == NULL)
-			kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
+		kmdp = preload_search_by_type("elf kernel");
 		if (kmdp != NULL) {
 			boothowto = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_HOWTO, int);
 			kern_envp = MD_FETCH(kmdp, MODINFOMD_ENVP, char *);