diff --git includes/common.inc includes/common.inc
index 5cea431..212d397 100644
--- includes/common.inc
+++ includes/common.inc
@@ -4932,10 +4932,10 @@ function drupal_flush_all_caches() {
   // If invoked from update.php, we must not update the theme information in the
   // database, or this will result in all themes being disabled.
   if (defined('MAINTENANCE_MODE') && MAINTENANCE_MODE == 'update') {
-    _system_get_theme_data();
+    _system_rebuild_theme_data();
   }
   else {
-    system_get_theme_data();
+    system_rebuild_theme_data();
   }
 
   drupal_theme_rebuild();
diff --git includes/install.inc includes/install.inc
index fef9fc5..e05863a 100644
--- includes/install.inc
+++ includes/install.inc
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ function drupal_verify_profile($install_state) {
  *   Normally just testing wants to set this to TRUE.
  */
 function drupal_install_modules($module_list = array(), $disable_modules_installed_hook = FALSE) {
-  $files = system_get_module_data();
+  $files = system_rebuild_module_data();
   $module_list = array_flip(array_values($module_list));
   do {
     $moved = FALSE;
@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ function drupal_install_system() {
     ->execute();
   // Now that we've installed things properly, bootstrap the full Drupal environment
   drupal_bootstrap(DRUPAL_BOOTSTRAP_FULL);
-  system_get_module_data();
+  system_rebuild_module_data();
 }
 
 /**
diff --git includes/registry.inc includes/registry.inc
index 873c8c3..fbc5338 100644
--- includes/registry.inc
+++ includes/registry.inc
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ function _registry_rebuild() {
   require_once DRUPAL_ROOT . '/includes/database/' . $driver . '/query.inc';
 
   // Get current list of modules and their files.
-  $modules = system_get_module_data();
+  $modules = system_rebuild_module_data();
   // Get the list of files we are going to parse.
   $files = array();
   foreach ($modules as &$module) {
diff --git includes/theme.inc includes/theme.inc
index 4437165..caed80c 100644
--- includes/theme.inc
+++ includes/theme.inc
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ function list_themes($refresh = FALSE) {
     }
     else {
       // Scan the installation when the database should not be read.
-      $themes = _system_get_theme_data();
+      $themes = _system_rebuild_theme_data();
     }
 
     foreach ($themes as $theme) {
diff --git includes/theme.maintenance.inc includes/theme.maintenance.inc
index 3192b8d..61f69c2 100644
--- includes/theme.maintenance.inc
+++ includes/theme.maintenance.inc
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ function template_preprocess_maintenance_page(&$variables) {
 
   global $theme;
   // Retrieve the theme data to list all available regions.
-  $theme_data = _system_get_theme_data();
+  $theme_data = _system_rebuild_theme_data();
   $regions = $theme_data[$theme]->info['regions'];
 
   // Get all region content set with drupal_add_region_content().
diff --git includes/update.inc includes/update.inc
index 63574c9..a767e73 100644
--- includes/update.inc
+++ includes/update.inc
@@ -151,8 +151,8 @@ function update_check_incompatibility($name, $type = 'module') {
 
   // Store values of expensive functions for future use.
   if (empty($themes) || empty($modules)) {
-    $themes = _system_get_theme_data();
-    $modules = system_get_module_data();
+    $themes = _system_rebuild_theme_data();
+    $modules = system_rebuild_module_data();
   }
 
   if ($type == 'module' && isset($modules[$name])) {
diff --git install.php install.php
index 8a3daa9..26c9a90 100644
--- install.php
+++ install.php
@@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@ function install_bootstrap_full(&$install_state) {
  */
 function install_profile_modules(&$install_state) {
   $modules = variable_get('install_profile_modules', array());
-  $files = system_get_module_data();
+  $files = system_rebuild_module_data();
   variable_del('install_profile_modules');
   $operations = array();
   foreach ($modules as $module) {
diff --git modules/help/help.admin.inc modules/help/help.admin.inc
index 2438afb..c9b9f2e 100644
--- modules/help/help.admin.inc
+++ modules/help/help.admin.inc
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ function help_page($name) {
 
 function help_links_as_list() {
   $empty_arg = drupal_help_arg();
-  $module_info = system_get_module_data();
+  $module_info = system_rebuild_module_data();
 
   $modules = array();
   foreach (module_implements('help', TRUE) as $module) {
diff --git modules/system/system.admin.inc modules/system/system.admin.inc
index 4c75c8e..0ae9ca6 100644
--- modules/system/system.admin.inc
+++ modules/system/system.admin.inc
@@ -146,12 +146,11 @@ function system_admin_menu_block_page() {
  */
 function system_admin_by_module() {
 
-  $modules = system_get_module_data();
+  $module_info = system_get_info('module');
   $menu_items = array();
   $help_arg = module_exists('help') ? drupal_help_arg() : FALSE;
 
-  foreach ($modules as $file) {
-    $module = $file->name;
+  foreach ($module_info as $module => $info) {
     if ($module == 'help') {
       continue;
     }
@@ -169,7 +168,7 @@ function system_admin_by_module() {
       // Sort.
       ksort($admin_tasks);
 
-      $menu_items[$file->info['name']] = array($file->info['description'], $admin_tasks);
+      $menu_items[$info['name']] = array($info['description'], $admin_tasks);
     }
   }
   return theme('system_admin_by_module', $menu_items);
@@ -200,7 +199,7 @@ function system_settings_overview() {
  */
 function system_themes_form() {
 
-  $themes = system_get_theme_data();
+  $themes = system_rebuild_theme_data();
   uasort($themes, 'system_sort_modules_by_info_name');
 
   $status = array();
@@ -388,7 +387,7 @@ function system_theme_settings(&$form_state, $key = '') {
   if ($key) {
     $settings = theme_get_settings($key);
     $var = str_replace('/', '_', 'theme_' . $key . '_settings');
-    $themes = system_get_theme_data();
+    $themes = system_rebuild_theme_data();
     $features = $themes[$key]->info['features'];
   }
   else {
@@ -635,7 +634,7 @@ function _system_is_incompatible(&$incompatible, $files, $file) {
  */
 function system_modules($form_state = array()) {
   // Get current list of modules.
-  $files = system_get_module_data();
+  $files = system_rebuild_module_data();
 
   // Remove hidden modules from display list.
   foreach ($files as $filename => $file) {
@@ -826,7 +825,7 @@ function _system_modules_build_row($info, $extra) {
  * Display confirmation form for required modules.
  *
  * @param $modules
- *   Array of module file objects as returned from system_get_module_data().
+ *   Array of module file objects as returned from system_rebuild_module_data().
  * @param $storage
  *   The contents of $form_state['storage']; an array with two
  *   elements: the list of required modules and the list of status
@@ -884,7 +883,7 @@ function system_modules_submit($form, &$form_state) {
 
   // Get a list of all modules, it will be used to find which module requires
   // which.
-  $files = system_get_module_data();
+  $files = system_rebuild_module_data();
 
   // The modules to be enabled.
   $modules_to_be_enabled = array();
diff --git modules/system/system.api.php modules/system/system.api.php
index c90cdd5..5e21bb5 100644
--- modules/system/system.api.php
+++ modules/system/system.api.php
@@ -669,7 +669,7 @@ function hook_mail_alter(&$message) {
 /**
  * Alter the information parsed from module and theme .info files
  *
- * This hook is invoked in _system_get_module_data() and in _system_get_theme_data().
+ * This hook is invoked in _system_rebuild_module_data() and in _system_rebuild_theme_data().
  * A module may implement this hook in order to add to or alter the data
  * generated by reading the .info file with drupal_parse_info_file().
  *
diff --git modules/system/system.install modules/system/system.install
index 9f679dd..1676f9d 100644
--- modules/system/system.install
+++ modules/system/system.install
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ function system_install() {
   }
 
   // Load system theme data appropriately.
-  system_get_theme_data();
+  system_rebuild_theme_data();
 
   // Inserting uid 0 here confuses MySQL -- the next user might be created as
   // uid 2 which is not what we want. So we insert the first user here, the
@@ -2090,7 +2090,7 @@ function system_update_7021() {
   variable_del('site_footer');
 
   // Rebuild theme data, so the new 'help' region is identified.
-  system_get_theme_data();
+  system_rebuild_theme_data();
 
   return $ret;
 }
diff --git modules/system/system.module modules/system/system.module
index 488d7e9..d612f27 100644
--- modules/system/system.module
+++ modules/system/system.module
@@ -1842,12 +1842,43 @@ function system_update_files_database(&$files, $type) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * Get the .info data about active modules or themes.
+ *
+ * This function returns the .info data in the {system} table. If the $rebuild
+ * parameter is TRUE, the data in the table is rebuilt to be sure it reflects
+ * the current files on disk.
+ *
+ * @param $type
+ *   Either 'module' or 'theme'.
+ * @param $rebuild
+ *   Optional boolean. If TRUE, the data in the database will be rebuilt
+ *   before being fetched.
+ *
+ * @return
+ *   An associative array of module or theme information keyed by name.
+ */
+function system_get_info($type, $rebuild = FALSE) {
+  $info = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, array());
+  if ($rebuild) {
+    call_user_func('system_rebuild_' . $type . '_data');
+    unset($info[$type]);
+  }
+  if (!isset($info[$type])) {
+    $result = db_query('SELECT name, info FROM {system} WHERE type = :type AND status = 1', array(':type' => $type));
+    foreach ($result as $item) {
+      $info[$type][$item->name] = unserialize($item->info);
+    }
+  }
+  return $info[$type];
+}
+
+/**
  * Helper function to scan and collect module .info data.
  *
  * @return
  *   An associative array of module information.
  */
-function _system_get_module_data() {
+function _system_rebuild_module_data() {
   // Find modules
   $modules = drupal_system_listing('/\.module$/', 'modules', 'name', 0);
 
@@ -1898,13 +1929,13 @@ function _system_get_module_data() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Collect data about all currently available modules.
+ * Rebuild, save, and return data about all currently available modules.
  *
  * @return
  *   Array of all available modules and their data.
  */
-function system_get_module_data() {
-  $modules = _system_get_module_data();
+function system_rebuild_module_data() {
+  $modules = _system_rebuild_module_data();
   ksort($modules);
   system_get_files_database($modules, 'module');
   system_update_files_database($modules, 'module');
@@ -1934,7 +1965,7 @@ function system_get_module_data() {
  * @return
  *   An associative array of themes information.
  */
-function _system_get_theme_data() {
+function _system_rebuild_theme_data() {
   $themes_info = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, array());
 
   if (empty($themes_info)) {
@@ -2060,13 +2091,13 @@ function _system_get_theme_data() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Collect data about all currently available themes.
+ * Rebuild, save, and return data about all currently available themes.
  *
  * @return
  *   Array of all available themes and their data.
  */
-function system_get_theme_data() {
-  $themes = _system_get_theme_data();
+function system_rebuild_theme_data() {
+  $themes = _system_rebuild_theme_data();
   ksort($themes);
   system_get_files_database($themes, 'theme');
   system_update_files_database($themes, 'theme');
diff --git modules/update/update.compare.inc modules/update/update.compare.inc
index bbfa889..0d92a83 100644
--- modules/update/update.compare.inc
+++ modules/update/update.compare.inc
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ function update_get_projects() {
     $projects = update_project_cache('update_project_projects');
     if (empty($projects)) {
       // Still empty, so we have to rebuild the cache.
-      $module_data = system_get_module_data();
-      $theme_data = system_get_theme_data();
+      $module_data = system_rebuild_module_data();
+      $theme_data = system_rebuild_theme_data();
       _update_process_info_list($projects, $module_data, 'module', TRUE);
       _update_process_info_list($projects, $theme_data, 'theme', TRUE);
       if (variable_get('update_check_disabled', FALSE)) {