diff --git a/runtime/class_linker.cc b/runtime/class_linker.cc
index c0e5704..9ac27a1 100644
--- a/runtime/class_linker.cc
+++ b/runtime/class_linker.cc
@@ -1666,6 +1666,10 @@
     // resolve the same way, simply flatten the hierarchy in the way the resolution order would be,
     // and check that the dex file names are the same.
     for (mirror::ClassLoader* image_class_loader : image_class_loaders) {
+      if (IsBootClassLoader(soa, image_class_loader)) {
+        // The dex cache can reference types from the boot class loader.
+        continue;
+      }
       std::list<mirror::String*> image_dex_file_names;
       std::string temp_error_msg;
       if (!FlattenPathClassLoader(image_class_loader, &image_dex_file_names, &temp_error_msg)) {
diff --git a/runtime/mirror/dex_cache-inl.h b/runtime/mirror/dex_cache-inl.h
index 2da3d84..2894b68 100644
--- a/runtime/mirror/dex_cache-inl.h
+++ b/runtime/mirror/dex_cache-inl.h
@@ -148,9 +148,7 @@
   for (size_t i = 0, count = NumStrings(); i < count; ++i) {
     mirror::String* source = src[i].Read<kReadBarrierOption>();
     mirror::String* new_source = visitor(source);
-    if (source != new_source) {
-      dest[i] = GcRoot<mirror::String>(new_source);
-    }
+    dest[i] = GcRoot<mirror::String>(new_source);
   }
 }
 
@@ -160,9 +158,7 @@
   for (size_t i = 0, count = NumResolvedTypes(); i < count; ++i) {
     mirror::Class* source = src[i].Read<kReadBarrierOption>();
     mirror::Class* new_source = visitor(source);
-    if (source != new_source) {
-      dest[i] = GcRoot<mirror::Class>(new_source);
-    }
+    dest[i] = GcRoot<mirror::Class>(new_source);
   }
 }