HP/Compaq :: HDX-18. Trying To Figure Fan Out.

I've got a HDX-18, (X18-1374ca) Centrino Q9000 cpu, 4GB RAM, Windows 7 64bit. F.24 BIOS from factory. Had it for two months. I use this as a desktop replacement, no gaming, plugged in all the time. I have Power Options set to Balanced.

Out of the box the BIOS has the cooling fan set to run all the time. I had it that way for two months, the fan runs on what I'd say medium speed all day, never changes speed or anything all day even when the screens off and gone in to standby for ages....the fan still spins same speed, same sound. Its not annoying or loud. But I wonder how many years it will last (not as easy to change as a desktop cooling fan).

So in the BIOS I now turned the fan to always off. So its off when I am not at the laptop. But just browsing the net and typing this the fan goes off then comes on full blast for a minute and then off...and on and off, and so on. The trouble with that is the noise! The full speed fan is quite noisy, distracting. I am not complaining as I know it has to now run fast since it was off the cpu heated up.

The only place I can see to do anything else with the fan is Power Options in Control Panel, in Advanced power options, under Processor power management I can set the System cooling policy to Active or Passive....what ever that does, it doesn't make any differences.

I am curious what other people might have done. I am only trying to get it so the fan runs medium, quietly, when I am at the laptop and goes off when its in standby. It doesn't sleep, I have sleep disabled, just standby, HDDs still On.

I have a older DV9774ca and its fan comes on slow or medium speed and even off as I use the laptop, not full speed unless I have some intense graphics or video going. If I am only browsing the net the fan on that would even turn completely off, no spinning (I looked). Admitting it is s different cpu and laptop, thats the sort of behaviour I am looking for for this one.