Same answer here...
My (AMD type) motherboard BIOS goes so far as to kill
the power to the machine if the fan sensor tells it there is
no fan or it is not turning at the proper speed.
                       Rick Glazier

From: "Larry Fisk"
> Jun Qian is right, even 5 seconds on an athlon will heat
> the processor so hot you can't touch it without getting burned.

> > I would prefer to do this without the cooling
> > fan, i.e. run the computer for a couple of
> > minutes with no cooling fan.
> > Am I in danger of frying the cpu in that short
> > of time?

        The NOSPIN Group provides a monthly newsletter with great
       tips, information and ideas: NOSPIN-L, The NOSPIN Magazine
           Visit our web site to signup: http://freepctech.com