Thank you for this Alex. Very clear instructions. Saved me a costly trip for a repair!

The connector is very small. Make a mental note of which way around it went in before removing it and make sure the replacement connector goes in the right way around. Care: make sure the wires do not obscure the screw hole to the top right of the connector. This female recess is for one of the screws removed in Step 5 and the wire could easily be damage on re-assembly.

Before starting, open the CD drawer and leave it open. This makes Step 5 - sliding out the CD drive - far easier. If left closed, prying open the CD drive can damage it. Power down the laptop and begin.