Drive vendors tell us that the expected point of failure for a DVD+RW burner is about 50,000 to 75,000 hours of operation--whether the PC is active or simply drawing power in standby mode. Although a drive failure can occur after just a few months of vigorous use, the best drives can last five years or even more.

Heat is your drive's greatest enemy; you can avoid premature failure by ensuring your PC has good internal air circulation.

Dust & smoke can cause premature failure by clouding up the laser lens and by careful dismantling of the drive and cleaning it with IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) cleaning solvent on a cotton bud the drive can usually be successfully restored to its former glory. This has to be carried out with great care as excessive force can damage the lens assembly. Of course any dismantling of the drive will invalidate any warranty and should only be carried out as a last resort

Heat and dust can cause the lubrication of the drives motor and laser assembly carriage to dry out and become sluggish. If the motors become sluggish not much can be done but if the laser carriage is sluggish this can be cleaned along the two silver bars with IPA on a cotton bud and then re-lubricated with WD40 or similar light oil that has been sprayed onto a cotton bud Take care not to get any excess lubricant on the other internal parts.

Electronic failure of the components on the control circuit board is rare but can again be brought on by excessive heat, so again make sure the drive is well ventilated, if any of the electronics fail then it is highly unlikely that you will be able to repair it.

Firmware:- The Myth
Upgrading the firmware will NOT cure a faulty drive it will only improve the functionality of a currently working drive, this usually improves reading & burning quality & speed with specific media. It is advisable to apply the latest firmware from the manufacturer's site to get the most out of the drive.

Subjecting the drive to excessive shock or vibration can cause premature failure of the drive and although manufacturers specify that the drive can be mounted in both horizontal & vertical positions IMO mounting vertically can cause uneven wear on the spindle motor bearings an contribute to it's early failure.

A clean dry cool environment will help to maintain a long & useful life for your burner. I would avoid using in a damp environment especially places like kitchen or laundry areas & where gas appliances are used without adequate ventilation, (the waste fumes from the gas burners can cause corrosion of the metal parts of the components inside the drive)

Some suspected failures can be down to the software setup on your PC and this is not always easy to diagnose, an easy way to determine this is to transfer your drive into another PC that is known to work with DVD burners and check if it then works