hello there
The DVD-RW drive on this laptop pops open every now and then on its own. I note that this happens only when there is some pressure applied to the casing underneath the drive itself such as placing the laptop, on the laptop (!!!!) or lifting the laptop by holding the casing underneath the DVD drive, or squeezing the casing above and beneath the DVD drive (did this just for diagnostics).
Any suggestion to fix this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance.

Sounds like a mechanical problem with the latch. If you got the skills and confidence and know how, try removing the whole DVD drive from the laptop and see if you can still open it without applying any voltage from laptop. If so , live with it or see about buying a replacement. Be a good time to upgrade to a DVDRW

Here is another option you might try. Get a can of compressed air and a cd cleaner kit. Open up DVD bay and blow out any debri that may be causing the latch to stick. Then run the cd cleaner kit through the DVD rom and see if that'll fix it. I can;t guarantee it will fix your problem if the latch is wore out it win't but its a way to get any dirt you might have in there out keeping it from latching right.