There is no "nano" file. It [nano] is just the program you use to view and edit the file. It is the same as how you wouldn't call file x "that Microsoft Word file".

eep, I was trying to warn you not to comment out the thermadt746x. However, in my haste I got "with" and "without" mixed up. Do not put a # in front of the thermadt746x module.

FYI, here is what the Ubuntu FAQ says:

Note, if you find your fan is coming on a lot then this is often a sign that your computer is working hard. Users who are not used to their fan coming on think there is something wrong with their fan settings. It is often the case that the fan is working correctly and the computer is just getting hot.

Check your CPU usage by running the "top" command from the terminal. The command displays system resources and a list of processes currently being managed by the Linux kernel. If you see "0.0%id" (or a very low number) in the Cpu(s) line then your machine has no spare CPU time. If the process update-apt-xapi is being the CPU hog then you can remove it (see the question about the Software Centre/Update Manager below).

Many PowerPC processors can take advantage of CPU frequency scaling (see hardware secition above) and this can keep your computer running cooler. You can also adjust the hard drive and graphics card settings to further reduce the heat produced by the computer.

@ojordan: OK, thanks for the clarifications, it looks like maybe one of your posts where you said the same thing got by me . . . so, I'm not going to mess with the thermxx module . . . and I'll look into the other options you mentioned . . . . It's understood that if the processor is being asked to perform at a high level, like sometimes running a Chess app in OSX where the computer is playing itself the fan may spin, but what I believe that Rbuchmann and I are talking about is in "simple" stuff like posting to this forum the fan will max out, rather than spin at a moderate level . . . . It's loud, and it's "excessive" in comparison to what OSX does in similar usage . . . noting the difference gives concern, also it sounds like a PC (another cause for concern) . . . . Interestingly, I'm typing in the 11 resistant iMac using 10.4.11, the fan is spinning, but quietly . . . using Camino 2.1 I'm seeing that the Smilies are not shaking nor trembling with "e-motion" as they do in IW . . . . JD mentioned at some point in the past that the Smilies use a lot of "energy" and that might explain why the fan is blowing so hard in 11 . . . so either Camino or OSX have managed to control the overly ecstatic Smilies and keep the fan somewhat quiet--don't know, but the iMac is at least ten years old and still doing OK w/o fan at max power.

@theos911: yes, thank you, I know/knew that "nano" is not technically a "file" . . . but just used "file" in haste to describe the "window" of /etc/modules/ that was in the nano . . . text editor "file" . . . that could be edited/adjusted . . . not too critical in either case. Question from OP and myself is, how to run the computer safely, but w/o having the fan blowing like a madman when doing stuff like, typing a file in a forum--"ff" (forum file)--as opposed to doing something like watching a video which may use a large amount of processor, etc, etc.

e.e.p.

e.e.p.

et al: since I've been using the iBook MintyP11 to try to troubleshoot the iMac I've been spending more time in the MintyP11 partition . . . and in spite of the fact that the "thermadt746" is in the etc/modules . . . the fan is still spinning loudly, especially when typing posts to this forum. I checked the "pbbuttonsd" and it doesn't seem to offer any adjustment for the CPUfan. While the CLI is booting up I see something that says "thermadt746 attach_adaptor is deprecated, use another way to substantiate your i2c_client." ???? Rdbuchman, did you fix your talkative fan?

e.e.p.

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/thinkfan

Checking out another thread on a forum where the OP wanted his CPU fan to run all of the time one of the guru's posted that link with the suggestion to use "thinkfan" . . . would that app work in MintPPC to possibly reduce the, to me, over use of the fan?? And then would there be suggested guidelines as far as the temperature ranges that would be safe to use? The obtrusiveness of the fan continues to interfere with easy use of Mint11 in the iBook, just wondering if "thinkfan" could be installed with "sudo apt thinkfan" . . . and would that solve the problems or just increase the amount of fan time even more?

e.e.p.

Fans are also driving me nuts on my ibook G4, I will try this when I am back in front of my ibook.

I noticed on boot up that the thermxxx module states its changing the temp range from (if I remember correctly) 69, 71 and 100 to 50 70 and 50. So maybe that's why the fans are coming on all the time. Maybe we could edit the settings on thermxxx in gedit or something?

@ocmac: is that the "OC" in SoCal? But, thanks for the reply, yes, the fan also pushes the boundaries of sanity for me . . . and perhaps there could be some editing in "nano" of the temp file, but I would need some recommendations for what is considered safe, etc and perhaps even which would be the correct file--but I'm a bit pressed for time. But, it might be that this "thinkfan" app would allow the temp ranges to be adjusted in the GUI, however it might not be in the Wheezy repository . . . but it's in Debian 6, so I don't know if it's do-able for MintPPC11???

e.e.p.

Nope, not Orange County. oc is a day the T'zolkin, mayan calendar. Mac is not referencing the computer, its actually a month in the mayan year (haab). I was born in the Yucatan, Mexico to British hippie parents. Ocmac. That is all.

Ah . . . well that is more interesting than the OC in SoCal . . . .

e.e.p.

Can't get thinkfan to run. Will keep trying.