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My laptop fan is always active, even if CPU usage is really low (less than 5%). I have a Vaio laptop with Linux and Windows, but this problem only happens with Linux.

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this kind of thing depends on your hardware. which model do you have exactly? – ixtmixilix Feb 27 '12 at 15:58
well I think it doesn't depend on my hardware, because it only happens with Linux! so at least it can be a driver problem – Simone Feb 27 '12 at 16:04
@Simone: it depends on your hardware because it doesn't happen in every machine. That doesn't mean it's a problem of your hardware. – André Paramés Jun 22 '12 at 13:42
What about temperature? Was it too "high"? – warl0ck Oct 20 '12 at 9:21
I had one Vaio laptop that always had this problem with Linux. I had a second Vaio laptop that always had this problem with FreeBSD. No more Vaio laptops. – dubiousjim Oct 20 '12 at 12:43

1 Answer

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Sony Vaio Laptops

I have found an invaluable resource of information from this Google code page.

ACPI

I suggest you start there and work your way around the internet using keywords such as ACPI. ACPI is what allows your OS to control things such as fans, power-state (hibernation and resume), screen brightness among other things.

lm-sensors

Try installing lm-sensors via your package manager and run it via sensors -f. Your computer may simply not be aware of it's temperature, and is making sure it stays nice and cool.

BIOS Updates

Many Vaio models have somewhat recent BIOS updates what are supposed to fix such issues.

Words of Caution

You are in for a long read, as Vaio laptops have tons of problems with ACPI and similar functionality within Linux. Not saying it's impossible, but you will surely learn a lot by the time you find your solution.

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