Hypervisors are a new technology in the industry that enable multiple Operating Systems to co-exist on a single client. The use of a hypervisor provides a novel approach to thermal fan control. The hypervisor is able to fire up a maintenance Operating System on demand or have it running from the powering of the computer. The maintenance Operating System continuously monitors the status of the user Operating System and determines if the system is within the desired fan noise profile by measuring noise levels using means well known in the art. If the system seems to be drifting out of the desired profile, the maintenance Operating System will determine what type of action is required and choose the most appropriate course of action. These actions can be performed by either the maintenance Operating System or the hypervisor, as appropriate.