I only assumed it was the cable due to the horrible erosion of the outer plastic and wires exposed... :s

Got the new cable today and it's working perfectly. I'm pretty handy in the guts of a desktop but I'd be too frightened to crack open the laptop in case I completely fuck-up. I might ask my cousin to take a look though - she did IT at uni. Don't know when I'll see her though...

I do have an old desktop that I built but it needs a ridiculous amount of upgrading.