diff --git a/scripts/sorttable.c b/scripts/sorttable.c
index b9d9eb6f01f1..cd3b2145a827 100644
--- a/scripts/sorttable.c
+++ b/scripts/sorttable.c
@@ -469,42 +469,41 @@ static void *sort_mcount_loc(void *arg)
 }
 
 /* Get the address of __start_mcount_loc and __stop_mcount_loc in System.map */
-static void get_mcount_loc(uint64_t *_start, uint64_t *_stop)
+static void get_mcount_loc(struct elf_mcount_loc *emloc, Elf_Shdr *symtab_sec,
+			   const char *strtab)
 {
-	FILE *file_start, *file_stop;
-	char start_buff[20];
-	char stop_buff[20];
-	int len = 0;
+	Elf_Sym *sym, *end_sym;
+	int symentsize = shdr_entsize(symtab_sec);
+	int found = 0;
+
+	sym = (void *)emloc->ehdr + shdr_offset(symtab_sec);
+	end_sym = (void *)sym + shdr_size(symtab_sec);
+
+	while (sym < end_sym) {
+		if (!strcmp(strtab + sym_name(sym), "__start_mcount_loc")) {
+			emloc->start_mcount_loc = sym_value(sym);
+			if (++found == 2)
+				break;
+		} else if (!strcmp(strtab + sym_name(sym), "__stop_mcount_loc")) {
+			emloc->stop_mcount_loc = sym_value(sym);
+			if (++found == 2)
+				break;
+		}
+		sym = (void *)sym + symentsize;
+	}
 
-	file_start = popen(" grep start_mcount System.map | awk '{print $1}' ", "r");
-	if (!file_start) {
+	if (!emloc->start_mcount_loc) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "get start_mcount_loc error!");
 		return;
 	}
 
-	file_stop = popen(" grep stop_mcount System.map | awk '{print $1}' ", "r");
-	if (!file_stop) {
+	if (!emloc->stop_mcount_loc) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "get stop_mcount_loc error!");
-		pclose(file_start);
 		return;
 	}
-
-	while (fgets(start_buff, sizeof(start_buff), file_start) != NULL) {
-		len = strlen(start_buff);
-		start_buff[len - 1] = '\0';
-	}
-	*_start = strtoul(start_buff, NULL, 16);
-
-	while (fgets(stop_buff, sizeof(stop_buff), file_stop) != NULL) {
-		len = strlen(stop_buff);
-		stop_buff[len - 1] = '\0';
-	}
-	*_stop = strtoul(stop_buff, NULL, 16);
-
-	pclose(file_start);
-	pclose(file_stop);
 }
 #endif
+
 static int do_sort(Elf_Ehdr *ehdr,
 		   char const *const fname,
 		   table_sort_t custom_sort)
@@ -535,8 +534,6 @@ static int do_sort(Elf_Ehdr *ehdr,
 	unsigned int shstrndx;
 #ifdef MCOUNT_SORT_ENABLED
 	struct elf_mcount_loc mstruct = {0};
-	uint64_t _start_mcount_loc = 0;
-	uint64_t _stop_mcount_loc = 0;
 #endif
 #ifdef UNWINDER_ORC_ENABLED
 	unsigned int orc_ip_size = 0;
@@ -574,13 +571,8 @@ static int do_sort(Elf_Ehdr *ehdr,
 
 #ifdef MCOUNT_SORT_ENABLED
 		/* locate the .init.data section in vmlinux */
-		if (!strcmp(secstrings + idx, ".init.data")) {
-			get_mcount_loc(&_start_mcount_loc, &_stop_mcount_loc);
-			mstruct.ehdr = ehdr;
+		if (!strcmp(secstrings + idx, ".init.data"))
 			mstruct.init_data_sec = shdr;
-			mstruct.start_mcount_loc = _start_mcount_loc;
-			mstruct.stop_mcount_loc = _stop_mcount_loc;
-		}
 #endif
 
 #ifdef UNWINDER_ORC_ENABLED
@@ -624,23 +616,6 @@ static int do_sort(Elf_Ehdr *ehdr,
 		goto out;
 	}
 #endif
-
-#ifdef MCOUNT_SORT_ENABLED
-	if (!mstruct.init_data_sec || !_start_mcount_loc || !_stop_mcount_loc) {
-		fprintf(stderr,
-			"incomplete mcount's sort in file: %s\n",
-			fname);
-		goto out;
-	}
-
-	/* create thread to sort mcount_loc concurrently */
-	if (pthread_create(&mcount_sort_thread, NULL, &sort_mcount_loc, &mstruct)) {
-		fprintf(stderr,
-			"pthread_create mcount_sort_thread failed '%s': %s\n",
-			strerror(errno), fname);
-		goto out;
-	}
-#endif
 	if (!extab_sec) {
 		fprintf(stderr,	"no __ex_table in file: %s\n", fname);
 		goto out;
@@ -660,6 +635,26 @@ static int do_sort(Elf_Ehdr *ehdr,
 	strtab = (const char *)ehdr + shdr_offset(strtab_sec);
 	symtab = (const Elf_Sym *)((const char *)ehdr + shdr_offset(symtab_sec));
 
+#ifdef MCOUNT_SORT_ENABLED
+	mstruct.ehdr = ehdr;
+	get_mcount_loc(&mstruct, symtab_sec, strtab);
+
+	if (!mstruct.init_data_sec || !mstruct.start_mcount_loc || !mstruct.stop_mcount_loc) {
+		fprintf(stderr,
+			"incomplete mcount's sort in file: %s\n",
+			fname);
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	/* create thread to sort mcount_loc concurrently */
+	if (pthread_create(&mcount_sort_thread, NULL, &sort_mcount_loc, &mstruct)) {
+		fprintf(stderr,
+			"pthread_create mcount_sort_thread failed '%s': %s\n",
+			strerror(errno), fname);
+		goto out;
+	}
+#endif
+
 	if (custom_sort) {
 		custom_sort(extab_image, shdr_size(extab_sec));
 	} else {
