diff --git a/src/system/boot/Jamfile b/src/system/boot/Jamfile
index 4ed347f77d..0ef52afacf 100644
--- a/src/system/boot/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/boot/Jamfile
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ local librootFunctions =
 	strchr.o
 	strrchr.o
 	strtol.o
+	arch_string.o
 ;
 
 local platformObjects = ;
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/Jamfile b/src/system/kernel/Jamfile
index 729fb39d0a..b778072af2 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/kernel/Jamfile
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ KernelLd kernel.so :
 	kernel_os_main.o
 	kernel_os_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o
 	kernel_posix.o
+	kernel_posix_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o
 
 	$(HAIKU_STATIC_LIBSUPC++)
 
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/lib/Jamfile b/src/system/kernel/lib/Jamfile
index fa3bea133d..707a398a38 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/lib/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/kernel/lib/Jamfile
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ KernelMergeObject kernel_posix.o :
 	strspn.c
 	strstr.c
 	strtok.c
-
+	
 	: $(TARGET_KERNEL_PIC_CCFLAGS)
 ;
 
@@ -120,12 +120,14 @@ KernelMergeObject kernel_os_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o :
 ;
 
 SEARCH_SOURCE += [ FDirName $(posixSources) arch $(TARGET_ARCH) ] ;
+SEARCH_SOURCE += [ FDirName $(posixSources) string arch $(TARGET_ARCH) ] ;
 
 KernelMergeObject kernel_posix_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o :
 	setjmp.S
 	siglongjmp.S
 	sigsetjmp.S
 	kernel_setjmp_save_sigs.c
+	arch_string.S
 
 	: $(TARGET_KERNEL_PIC_CCFLAGS)
 ;
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/Jamfile b/src/system/libroot/Jamfile
index fd6d94295b..06e736c039 100644
--- a/src/system/libroot/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/libroot/Jamfile
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ local librootObjects =
 	posix_gnu_wctype.o
 	posix_stdlib.o
 	posix_string.o
+	posix_string_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o
 	posix_sys.o
 	posix_time.o
 	posix_unistd.o
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/Jamfile b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/Jamfile
index 404b7cbac8..8a0912fbb4 100644
--- a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/Jamfile
@@ -36,3 +36,10 @@ MergeObject posix_string.o :
 	strtok.c
 	strxfrm.c
 ;
+
+SubDir HAIKU_TOP src system libroot posix string arch $(TARGET_ARCH) ;
+
+MergeObject posix_string_arch_$(TARGET_ARCH).o :
+	arch_string.S
+;
+
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/ppc/arch_string.S b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/ppc/arch_string.S
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/ppc/libc.mk b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/ppc/libc.mk
deleted file mode 100644
index 5925d910cd..0000000000
--- a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/ppc/libc.mk
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-LIBC_ARCH_DIR = $(LIBC_DIR)/arch/$(ARCH)
-LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR = $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/$(OBJ_DIR)
-
-LIBC_OBJS +=
-
-# build prototypes
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.o: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.c 
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	$(CC) -c $< $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -o $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.d: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.c
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	@echo "making deps for $<..."
-	@($(ECHO) -n $(dir $@); $(CC) $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -M -MG $<) > $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.d: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.S
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	@echo "making deps for $<..."
-	@($(ECHO) -n $(dir $@);$(CC) $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -M -MG $<) > $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.o: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.S
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	$(CC) -c $< $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -o $@
-
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/sh4/arch_string.S b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/sh4/arch_string.S
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/sh4/libc.mk b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/sh4/libc.mk
deleted file mode 100644
index 5925d910cd..0000000000
--- a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/sh4/libc.mk
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-LIBC_ARCH_DIR = $(LIBC_DIR)/arch/$(ARCH)
-LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR = $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/$(OBJ_DIR)
-
-LIBC_OBJS +=
-
-# build prototypes
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.o: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.c 
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	$(CC) -c $< $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -o $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.d: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.c
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	@echo "making deps for $<..."
-	@($(ECHO) -n $(dir $@); $(CC) $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -M -MG $<) > $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.d: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.S
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	@echo "making deps for $<..."
-	@($(ECHO) -n $(dir $@);$(CC) $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -M -MG $<) > $@
-
-$(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR)/%.o: $(LIBC_ARCH_DIR)/%.S
-	@if [ ! -d $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR) ]; then mkdir -p $(LIBC_ARCH_OBJ_DIR); fi
-	$(CC) -c $< $(GLOBAL_CFLAGS) -Iinclude -o $@
-
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/memcpy.S b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/arch_string.S
similarity index 94%
rename from src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/memcpy.S
rename to src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/arch_string.S
index 0bd67b39d0..c5bf8afec4 100644
--- a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/memcpy.S
+++ b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/arch/x86/arch_string.S
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 ** Copyright 2001, Travis Geiselbrecht. All rights reserved.
 ** Distributed under the terms of the NewOS License.
 */
-#include <libc/arch/string.h>
 
 .globl memcpy
 
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/memcpy.c b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/memcpy.c
index 501507acec..b197960154 100644
--- a/src/system/libroot/posix/string/memcpy.c
+++ b/src/system/libroot/posix/string/memcpy.c
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-
-#if !_ASM_MEMCPY
+/* do not build for for arches that have overridden this with an assembly version */
+#if !defined(ARCH_x86)
 
 typedef int word;
 
@@ -46,3 +46,4 @@ void *memcpy(void *dest, const void *src, size_t count)
 }
 
 #endif
+
diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile b/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
index 6a1d97e35d..01ebc51cb5 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ StaticLibrary libruntime_loader.a :
 	<src!system!libroot!posix!string>strrchr.o
 	<src!system!libroot!posix!string>strspn.o
 	<src!system!libroot!posix!string>strstr.o
+	<src!system!libroot!posix!string!arch!$(TARGET_ARCH)>arch_string.o
 
 	[ FGristFiles kernel_vsprintf.o ]
 ;