Thank you ReedRichards. Yes, I umm'd and arr'd at some length before going down the refurbish route. The drive I purchased was at a good price through Ebay. So if it does prove to be a dud or short lived it is a) not the end of the world or b) I should have some re-dress through Ebay, PayPal or through my Credit card. It allegedly comes with a six month warranty. The vendors name has been provided, which seems to be a quite valid repair outfit in the UK. It did cross my mind to call them to verify their status, but dismissed that as a bit OTT at this stage. Will just wait and see what arrives in the post in the next day or so.
The only fly in the ointment, is another post in "Windows" where I was asking advice about Windows 7. This laptop in question is the same one that I was planning to install it on, in between ordering the Win 7 from Amazon and its arrival yesterday this DVD drive fault has occurred (genuinely bad timing, but better than failing while trying to install that I suppose)
Amazon do in fact know about this situation, and are happy, as long as the Win7 remains unopened to refund on return, by 23 Feb. So I've got plenty of time to test out the refurb drive (with other disks) before I need to open the Win7 package.
Experience; is something you gain, just after you needed it most.
When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
