Power Management/ Fan and hard drive osillation

[courtney]

Hey list!

I must say this is a wonderful distro! I have tried many others over the 
years but this one is the best. It was a flawless installed and 
recognized nearly 100% of my hardware. The big plus was the high screen 
resolution and network config. Right the first time!

Now my question: When running on a battery my fan oscillates along with 
the hard drive on and off. It will switch between on and off every few 
seconds. It is almost like it wants to shut down but something kicks it 
back on again. This is something I have noticed under windows or when 
running while plugged in. I have a notebook (Dell D600). Does anyone 
have suggestions on how I may fix this problem? I am concerned about the 
effect on the disk and the long term life of the fan.

Also, if this is configurable someplace please let me know!

thanks!

Courtney