NEC ND-2510A won't recognize DVD media

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me rescue my formerly reliable ND-2510A from the junk pile. Lately it has stopped recognizing DVD media of any type. It's not that it won't burn to DVD, it won't even recognize that there's a disc in the drive. It does, however, read/write CD media with no issues.

Types of DVD media I've tried so far:

Verbatim 16X DVD+R (several different blanks)
Fujifilm DVD+RW
TDK DVD-R

All had the same result, whether tested using Windows XP Pro SP3 and Nero 6 or using Kubuntu Linux with k3b. I can burn CDs with iTunes, no problem.

I tried using a third-party firmware with no luck. I then updated to the latest official firmware (2.19), though I had to use BinFlash as NEC's own software wouldn't recognize the drive, and still no luck. Whenever I insert a DVD disc for burning, the drive spins up, makes a soft clicking noise, then stops, and the OS/software report the drive is empty or not ready.

My system specs in case they help:

Asus P4P800-E Deluxe
Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz (Prescott)
1 GB Crucial DDR400 RAM
NEC ND-2510A DVD-RW drive
Lite-On SOHD-167T DVD drive
Windows XP Professional SP3 / Kubuntu

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I know a new drive isn't very expensive, but I don't want to spend money on "This Old PC" if I don't have to.

Chris