Replacing the lens assembly will almost always fix this error if simpler fixes don't succeed. See my guide for the process here: Canon PowerShot S100 Lens Assembly Replacement.
Cool, thank you! I may have a go at that. I have several non-functional lens assemblies lying around, so wouldn’t mind sacrificing them if it gave me the information I needed to potentially fix the others.
@panuworld, I would love some further detail/instructions for opening the lens assembly and making the flex cable repair that you mentioned, as I now have several dead lens assemblies lying around. I have also had a failure of a replacement lens assembly and have mostly retired these cameras due to this ongoing problem, but would love to be able to fix the underlying problem (if I can figure out how to create a dust-free space in my house).
Interesting! I have never attempted a repair on the lens assembly, although I have thought about it. There are several broken ones in a box on my desk that I could have a go at with nothing to lose. I’ll be interested to hear how yours progresses. It would be nice if there were an easy way to test the lens assembly without having to put the camera all the way back together. In any case, I’m glad you found the basic guide helpful. I wanted to include animated GIFs for a couple of the steps, but apparently the iFixit platform doesn’t allow that.
Note: I’m not having a conversation with myself - this is a different Evan.