So this laptop of mine is pretty special. It will still work...if I don't put any pressure on it whatsoever. No movement, no nothing or it goes kaput. I've been looking online and I think I know what the problem may be: either my optical cable is being squished in between the cover hinges or it's a logic board issue. Both cases have been brought up a lot in Mac forums on the internet, especially for the type of laptop I have.

I also came across a site where I could fix it myself, but there are a lot of parts that I would be taking apart and that's something I don't feel comfortable with. So I'll just state the specific problem to the dealers I went to before and see if I can get a better quote.

Cross your fingers for me.