Well, first off, my problem wasn't with the drive not reading CD's/DVD's. My problem was that it would burn CD's but the CD's would be distorted upon playback, especially at the latter half of the CD. So... drive reading problems might not benefit from the same treatment.

Anyway, the tech guy had me shut down the computer. Once shut down, remove the power cord, remove the battery, and hold down the power button for 10 seconds. (This is for a MBP).

This is the first reset. The second is a little more difficult.

Put the battery back with the power cord. Now hold Apple-Option-P-R while hitting the power on. Continue to hold the 4 buttons (not the power) until you hear the ding of the computer starting TWICE. Then power up as usual.

I was told that these resets could work for some general maintenance issues, but not to do them often. If your computer needs this done more often that every couple of months, there is a bigger problem.

Hope this helps.