The CD/DVD drive will not open when I attempt to open it via the software or the button on the front of the drive.
The drive is probably locked by the software. This is normal during a burn. It locks the drive so that the drive cannot be opened during a burn causing damage to the drive.
If communication is interrupted and not reestablished during a burn for any number of reasons, then the drive is stuck in the locked state until it gets a message from the software to become unlocked. Since communication is interrupted, it does not receive this message.
The only way to fix this is to reset the drive by unplugging power to the unit and then plugging power back in. Now try ejecting the drive.