PD170 PROBLEM I have the same Problem, zoom out wide and its out of focus zoom in and its fine will try reset the the camera.

Perhaps you should investigate if nothing is wrong with the lens barrel. If it got stuck in any way, and it can't move out, the camera goes in protection, to prevent more damage.
If you say you used new batteries, the must have been out. The most usually way to reset a camera, and recover from an error is to remove the battery for a few moments and then switching on again.

there is something wrong with the zoom and focus electronics, mine won't focus in wide angle, it's permently focused on 3x zoom.

Is this the 28-80mm G lens? I have had some experience with this lens and it has always been soft at wide angles.

Mine occasionally does this as well, but only when trying to focus on the left side of my viewfinder. I found there is a piece of dust on the sensor in just the right quadrant that prevents it from focusing. Try setting your focus settings so that you can press the left or right buttons to select the focusing quadrant (left, middle, or right). If that fails, you can always manually focus.

Hi I have the same focusing problem, the camera was fine until it was switched in to Super Macro, since then the camera will not focus either manually or auto

Usually this is a back focus problem; also called a flange back adjustment.  If the back focus adjustment is possible on this camera, zoom out wide - open iris all the way - and adjust focus and lock position.

iESP is the default auto focus setting for the C-8080 Wide Zoom camera. It uses a contrast detecting system to analyze the entire image by comparing the subject against the background to achieve focus. When the shutter button is pressed half way on the C-8080 Wide Zoom, the AF target mark automatically moves to an area of the image where it finds the optimal contrast.

iESP is the default auto focus setting for the C-5060 Wide Zoom camera. It uses a contrast detecting system, to analyze the entire image by comparing the subject against the background to achieve focus. When the shutter button is pressed half way on the C-5060 Wide Zoom, the AF target zone automatically moves the to an area of the image where it finds the optimal contrast.

Using the Macro mode, it is possible to zoom through all ranges from telephoto to wide down to a minimum distance of 7.9 inches.

The D-460 Zoom shares the following features with the D-450 Zoom: •1.3 megapixel resolution - 1280 x 960 pixels •Olympus 5.4mm to 16.2mm (equiv. to 35mm to 105mm on a 35mm camera) lens: all-glass, 8 element, 6 groups, 2 aspherical lenses •Automatic TTL focus system •Macro mode allows the camera to auto focus as close as 8 inches •Automatic aperture selection: f2.8 to f8.0 wide, f4.4 to f12.6 tele •2x digital telephoto mode •3x image magnification inspection mode •Sequence mode: Up to 10 images at 2 frames per second intervals (SQ mode only) •Panorama mode: Allows multiple pictures to be "stitched" together to create wide views •NTSC video output to TV •12-second self timer •8 MB SmartMedia card included •Built-in, pop-up intelligent flash: Auto low & backlight, red-eye reducing, off, fill-in, slow-sync •Automatic white balance control or 4 manual settings (daylight, cloudy, tungsten light, fluorescent light) •Automatic ISO sensitivity or manual selectable ISO settings (125, 250, 500) •Uses 4 AA size batteries. AC Adapter is available as an optional accessory In addition, the D-460 Zoom has the following functions and features: •Industry standard icons for button labels and operation menus •Easy to use jog dial and button design allows easy menu navigation •2 compression ratios are now selectable in SQ mode •Selectable Sharpness: Normal or Soft •Selectable Memory Mode Setting: Reset camera settings at power-off or Retain all camera settings •2 Olympus brand CR-3V long life lithium batteries included. Provides 20-30 times the power/life of alkaline batteries