Malfunctioning CD drive on PowerBook G4

What should I do if my disc drive will not burn CD's, won't recognize some CD's, and generally needs some repair? Shall I repair it and if so with whom? OR is there in existence an external burner for Macs?
Thanks in advance!

There's lots of external DVD drives available. Better to go with something that has Firewire connection. [OWC|www.mac-sales.com] is a good place to start looking since the specifically support Mac computers, but there are lots of vendors out there.
You can try cleaning it but if it is an original drive it may just be showing its years. Probably not worth the trouble and expense of repairing. I know for desktop models you can get really good brand new, fast drives with dual layer capability, etc. for about $30 whereas a tech would charge you at least double that for just opening the case.

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