fan control

I read recently that error in installation can result in laptop fan not working, leading to hardware problems...Is this true????...Am shocked and a bit dubious because I would have expected that fan would respond to come kind of heat sensor, not software...wot???

 

Seems a bit strange to me - what software was being installed?

Cooling systems on a laptop work on heat and cpu work load - when running large applications such as video/music/image editting then the fan may appear to run faster to keep the laptop cooler as it's under load.
I wouldn't worry about it because this sounds pretty rare.

 

It was a comment to thread on ubuntu forum:COMPLETE HOW TO: Dell Inspiron 6400 :You forgot one important thing: i8kutils, GKrellm and gkrellm-i8k. Without them, the system won't be able to control the fan speed, and there's a possibility of overheating. I am concerned because, first, I don't know what I am doing, second, I want to install ubuntu to usb flash, to boot up sell inspiron 6400; very much want to avoid any damage.

 

You could always check the BIOS and allow it to control your FAN speed based on temperature or set it to max if you want to be 100% sure. Most modern CPU's will shut off if they overheat to avoid damage.