After some further reading, instead of disconnecting the fan wires, I used the method of slipping some folded paper into the vents to stop the fan. The machine is completely silent now, as expected. It feels a tiny bit warmer to the touch, but it's difficult to tell. No other ill affects observed.

Got an EEE PC a couple days ago without reading up too much beforehand -- I wanted a small, cheap bedside laptop as a quick net access point (web, net radio) and to slip into my shoulder bag for trips. This fits the bill nicely. It's surprisingly full featured out of the box. For a bedside computer ...

Got an EEE PC a couple days ago without reading up too much beforehand -- I wanted a small, cheap bedside laptop as a quick net access point (web, net radio) and to slip into my shoulder bag for trips. This fits the bill nicely. For a bedside computer though, the fan is pretty annoying. I figured an...