i want to run linux on my dell inspiron, but i've heard that if i run it for too long without acpi, or with acpi misconfigured, it will toast my processor. so i figure i need to get acpi up and running as quick as possible, but i think i would need to recompile my kernel to use acpi. i'm worried that since compiling is strenuous on the processor it might put some wear and tear on it, should i be concerned?

also, once i have acpi up and running, is there any way i can tell if it's not working properly? it will warn me if things start going wrong, right? i'd hate to have it come up and everything looks dandy and then a few months later... boom, processor goes because of some glitch or hardware conflict between my laptop and acpi.