The bit that gives me pause here is this:
Originally Posted by
Bluejay
I still have software that requires the CDROM or DVD to be in the drive yet it is not being read.
i.e. it's one of those copy-protection things that requires a physical disc in a locally-attached drive. With that in mind, the best bet is almost certainly to replace the failed DVD writer with another similar one. You can e.g. share the laptop drive across a network, but that will not satisfy the copy protection stuff. Yes, there may be ways around that, but that's more complication.