IMac G4 won't read or mount CDs

I have a iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz with the original Sony CD-RW drive. It refuses to mount or read any CDs, including store-bought music CDs and the Mac OS X Tiger CDs (I exchanged them because I don't have a DVD drive).
I have tried the following fixes:
- CD lens cleaner
- switching to OS9 and checking that the CD driver extension is turned on
- logging on as a different user
- updating software
- restarting
- zapping the PRAM
- running Tiger Cache Cleaner to repair permissions and run maintenance scripts
I'm guessing that the drive is dead. I have added memory myself, but don't feel comfortable replacing an internal CD drive. The catch is I live in France, and I don't want to take my machine to the local Mac repair shop. I can't afford "down" time, and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for parts and labor.
Do you agree that the drive is dead? Should I go ahead and buy an external drive, and while I'm at it, one that reads and burns DVDs? I'm looking at ordering a LaCie DVD+RW with LightScribe. This Mac suits my current needs, and I wasn't planning to replace it in the next year. But is it worth the investment for a machine that I bought five years ago?
Thanks!
iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz Mac OS X (10.3.9) Sony CD-RW CRX170E

Hello and Welcome back to Apple Discussions.
Yes, go ahead with the external drive.
External drives today are:
Over twice as fast as those internal ones used in iMacs on sale today. Typically 18x versus the 8x in the Intel iMac.
Tray loading versus slot loading allows use of small and mis-shapped discs.
Optional Lightscribe capability if that appeals to you.
So there are a number of positive reasons why even if you do replace the whole iMac the drive will continue to be useful to you.
cheers
mrtotes

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IMac G4 won't read or mount CDs

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