Why is the NTOSKRNL.exe IMAGE_MACHINETYPE header field set to x86 on only certain editions of Windows 7 x64? <p>I am using windows 7 home premium x64. I was wondering why exactly the IMAGE_MACHINETYPE field in the header of ntoskrnl in my system32 directory specifies x86. IDA will even let me disassemble it as native x86.</p> <p>Yet on my windows 7 pro machine, image_machinetype is x64. Am I just missing something.. or why is ntoskrnl 32 bit on a 64 bit OS?</p>