Broken camera

Hiya

Few quick things.

Digital camera need to initialize when you switch them on. Rather like booting a computer, they need to get themselves ready for work....

It sounds like yours is stuck in a position where it has gone beyond the bit where it is told to get ready, so it sits there waiting to be told :-(
When cameras get a thump, sometimes the mechanism can be knocked into a position that it was never designed for.

Firstly, look at the lense. Check that it has not extended slightly further than it should have. If it has the small servo motor that drives it may not engage correctly. With the power on, you could try gently applying pressure to the front of the lense (not the glass), to see if you can persuade it to retract. If it does retract, it will probably work.

Next, the lense may have been knocked slightly out of line, use the same process as above.

Have a look down the lense from the front of the camera. Can you see the shutter? This is black in colour and should closed. If it is half open use a cotton bud to move it slightly and see if that is enough to get things moving again.

Finally, you could try removing the battery/batteries, leave them out of the camera for two minutes then reinsert them and try again.

Good luck..