Xecure
If what caprea recomends doesn’t work, maybe you will have to check with Ubuntu.
Before doing anything else, check to see if you have enabled in the BIOS the “Fan Control Override”. If this is enabled, the fan will always work at full speed. Disable it.
I recently had problems with hardware not being detected in antiX on one of my computers, and the same happened on MX Linux. I had no idea what modules I needed so that everything could be detected. I read that a certain version of Ubuntu had these devices working, so I took the time to install it and check out the modules that were working on Ubuntu, so I could compile them with the kernel back with antiX. As you say, your computer could have the fan related module working out of the box in Ubuntu 10.10, you may have to delve in and check for yourself.
Sorry for not being of much use.
antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.