Multiplexer Error HELP!

I have been trying to burn a dvd in idvd for about two months now and have read several threads but have not found any solutions. I am really not computer savvy so I need to start at the very beginning. I have been burning dvds for years with no problems so I have no idea where to start. Is it possible my DVD burner just ran out of steam? Help! Thanks

correction

I have not found any solutions...or it was too complicated for me to follow

Have you tried to burn a DVD using Disk Utility? Why don't you try that and let us know the results. Or, you can download and use another program such as the free "Burn" from here.

not good...

Ok so I put in a blank dvd and I dragged a bunch of photos from iphoto. Then I dragged the DVD from my desktop to the trash can to burn it. After about 30 seconds I got the following error

Burning the disc failed because communication to the disc drive failed. (error code 0x 80020022)

This doesn't sound good.

It sounds like the optical drive has failed. If you open your "System Profiler" or "System Information" (Lion) application, does the optical drive show up?

Also, you can try running the Apple Hardware Test to see if it shows any errors for the optical drive.

no

I am looking under hardware, assuming that is the right place optical drive did not show up

I will try the apple hardware test

I am using a mac that is pretty old, I am assuming the optical drive is a pretty pricey repair, potentially not worth it...

If your machine is old and out of warranty, you have two choices:

1. Replace the optical drive yourself. See instructions at iFixit: The free repair manual

2. Buy an external USB optical drive. They're inexpensive and easy to manage.

And regarding your current drive... It's probably failed if it isn't showing up at all in the System Profiler. You don't need to run the Apple Hardware Test.