Hi Jason
It is unlikely to be anything to do with the laser. I have only repaired one of these with a laser problem and even that one was repaired without replacing it. The lasers used in these machines are very reliable.
The problem you described is most likely caused by failure of a power board regulator. This regulator gets very hot during normal operation and usually packs up on nearly all of these machines after about two ot three years.
You can obtain the part online and repair it successfully but you need to be able to use a soldering iron and remove the board to fix it. My advice is do not attempt any further repair to the laser or dvd drive unit.
Cornish Tekbabe
March 2008
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