This was caught an endless loop of starting up. The three internal capacitors were replaced to no avail. The hard drive has now been REMOVED. The case is in good cosmetic condition and the remote and power supply are fine. So if you want a good condition shell and internals for spares plus a remote and power supply then bid on this.
I knew what to expect because it's a replacement of an old one that had lasted several years. This one was refurbished like new and was delivered in a package that protected the unit but wasn't 'over the top'.
We have used this for a few weeks now and have found it works well with no problems. Our old box would remember the most used channels and store them in a favourites section so there was no need to scroll up and down between loads of channels to find the ones you usually use. If we can do this on the new box, then we haven't found how to yet.