diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index 50f20e6..b42496b 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -837,13 +837,6 @@ function drupal_http_request($url, array $options = array()) {
     // clash with the HTTP status codes.
     $result->code = -$errno;
     $result->error = trim($errstr) ? trim($errstr) : t('Error opening socket @socket', array('@socket' => $socket));
-
-    // Mark that this request failed. This will trigger a check of the web
-    // server's ability to make outgoing HTTP requests the next time that
-    // requirements checking is performed.
-    // See system_requirements().
-    variable_set('drupal_http_request_fails', TRUE);
-
     return $result;
   }
 
diff --git a/modules/aggregator/aggregator.admin.inc b/modules/aggregator/aggregator.admin.inc
index 9f92a67..f5fb5ee 100644
--- a/modules/aggregator/aggregator.admin.inc
+++ b/modules/aggregator/aggregator.admin.inc
@@ -326,6 +326,9 @@ function aggregator_form_opml_submit($form, &$form_state) {
     if (!isset($response->error)) {
       $data = $response->data;
     }
+    else {
+      watchdog('aggregator', 'HTTP request to @url failed with error: @error', array('@url' => $form_state['values']['remote'], '@error' => $response->error));
+    }
   }
 
   $feeds = _aggregator_parse_opml($data);
diff --git a/modules/system/system.admin.inc b/modules/system/system.admin.inc
index 23a975b..dbca6c0 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.admin.inc
+++ b/modules/system/system.admin.inc
@@ -2229,6 +2229,9 @@ function system_clean_url_settings($form, &$form_state) {
       }
     }
     else {
+      if ($request->error) {
+        watchdog('system', 'HTTP request for Clean URLs failed with error: @error', array('@error' => $result->error));
+      }
       // If the test failed while clean URLs are enabled, make sure clean URLs
       // can be disabled.
       if (variable_get('clean_url', 0)) {
diff --git a/modules/system/system.install b/modules/system/system.install
index 676d272..08ce4bf 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.install
+++ b/modules/system/system.install
@@ -474,16 +474,6 @@ function system_requirements($phase) {
       );
     }
     $requirements['update status']['title'] = $t('Update notifications');
-
-    // Check that Drupal can issue HTTP requests.
-    if (variable_get('drupal_http_request_fails', TRUE) && !system_check_http_request()) {
-      $requirements['http requests'] = array(
-        'title' => $t('HTTP request status'),
-        'value' => $t('Fails'),
-        'severity' => REQUIREMENT_ERROR,
-        'description' => $t('Your system or network configuration does not allow Drupal to access web pages, resulting in reduced functionality. This could be due to your webserver configuration or PHP settings, and should be resolved in order to download information about available updates, fetch aggregator feeds, sign in via OpenID, or use other network-dependent services. If you are certain that Drupal can access web pages but you are still seeing this message, you may add <code>$conf[\'drupal_http_request_fails\'] = FALSE;</code> to the bottom of your settings.php file.'),
-      );
-    }
   }
 
   return $requirements;
diff --git a/modules/system/system.module b/modules/system/system.module
index 48b2959..0d3ead5 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.module
+++ b/modules/system/system.module
@@ -3317,7 +3317,7 @@ function system_time_zones($blank = NULL) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Checks whether the server is capable of issuing HTTP requests.
+ * DEPRECATED: Checks whether the server is capable of issuing HTTP requests.
  *
  * The function sets the drupal_http_request_fail system variable to TRUE if
  * drupal_http_request() does not work and then the system status report page
@@ -3325,10 +3325,12 @@ function system_time_zones($blank = NULL) {
  *
  * @return
  *  TRUE if this installation can issue HTTP requests.
+ *
+ * @deprecated
  */
 function system_check_http_request() {
   // Try to get the content of the front page via drupal_http_request().
-  $result = drupal_http_request(url('', array('absolute' => TRUE)), array('max_redirects' => 0));
+  $result = drupal_http_request(url('', array('absolute' => TRUE)), array('max_redirects' => 0, 'timeout' => 10));
   // We only care that we get a http response - this means that Drupal
   // can make a http request.
   $works = isset($result->code) && ($result->code >= 100) && ($result->code < 600);
diff --git a/modules/update/update.fetch.inc b/modules/update/update.fetch.inc
index 860a1b9..e66b41f 100644
--- a/modules/update/update.fetch.inc
+++ b/modules/update/update.fetch.inc
@@ -150,9 +150,12 @@ function _update_process_fetch_task($project) {
   $project_name = $project['name'];
 
   if (empty($fail[$fetch_url_base]) || $fail[$fetch_url_base] < $max_fetch_attempts) {
-    $xml = drupal_http_request($url);
-    if (!isset($xml->error) && isset($xml->data)) {
-      $data = $xml->data;
+    $result = drupal_http_request($url);
+    if (isset($result->error)) {
+      watchdog('update', 'HTTP request to @url failed with error: @error.', array('@url' => $url, '@error' => $result->error));
+    }
+    elseif (!isset($result->error) && isset($result->data)) {
+      $data = $result->data;
     }
   }