LOL I know what you mean, noise is my main complaint, especially the dual processor IBM server I have running here at the house, that thing always sounds like it's ready to take off. I usually don't go in there too often unless I'm burning DVD's or printing off some things, and instead acess all the systems remotely over wireless, from my Pentium M laptop or my favorite little device, a 1-pound Windows CE Handheld PC (H/PC) by NEC that has instant on/off and can run a full terminal server client to remote control the Windows 2000 and XP systems. That's another reason I hope Apple will release OSX for generic Intel and be VMWARE compatible, so I could actually run it remotely like I can Solaris through the terminal server session on the H/PC without having to completely reboot it completely into the O/S. I obviously really love this stuff and can't seem to get away from it, even in the bathroom, ROFLMAO.
I purchased an HP5555 loaded with Windows CE (Mobile 2003) as a target for the locomotive display on my railroad contract. The Windows 2000/XP desktop boxes running a .Net environment posed a simple opportunity to write the networking and GUI in C#. When the Compact .Net Framework arrived for the HP5555, I moved the code from the desktop to the PDA. The only changes necessary were to screen geometry. Everything else just compiled and ran just like the desktop. I was thrilled to see the handheld pulling data off my railcars with the 802.11b wireless connections. That is the prelude to putting the capability to set/release handbrakes, open/close angle cocks and operate the cut lever from the PocketPC device. The locomotive engineers are going to have a ball.