My Pentax Optio M90 won't switch on unless I open it & fiddle with the orange tab that holds the battery in place first

I had the same problem. I checked the voltage first to ensure it was greater than 3.7V (some batteries were not). I left the door open and pushed the battery down and pressed the button and it powered up. Seems to be a problem with the contacts. I put about 6 layers of duct tape on top of the battery to cause the door to push it down and now it works.

SD and SDHC cards have a slide switch along one edge. The position farthest from the metal contacts locks the card, protecting it from writes. The position nearest the contacts unlocks the card.

SD and SDHC cards have a slide switch along one edge. The position farthest from the metal contacts locks the card, protecting it from writes. The position nearest the contacts unlocks the card.

Hi kerritm,

This indicated that it's time you need to replace your flash , therefore you can get it done via a service center,

The camera's flash has a certain life and you can't expect it to be ok for many years together ,

In unfortunate cases , it stops working due to hard ware failure.

Therefore , Please get the flash replaced and you would be able to use it.

Hope this helps..:)

Hello

The problem is that the lens has become stuck in the barrel. There are some DIY solutions you could try, but the probability is that you will have to get it fixed by a professional.

Use these at own risk as it may further damage the camera.

Firstly , try connecting your ac adapter or usb cable.

Try holding the shutter button while switching on the camera.

Look at the lens , and if some of the lens 'circles' is misaligned or not concentric then try wiggling it (while holding camera lens down).

Try gently pushing or pulling the lens when it extends but this is risky as it may cause the lens barrel to slip out of its guidance system.

Another way to do this is to place the camera lens down on a hard surface and then power it up. Be sure to use a soft cloth or something similar as to not scratch your lens or casing. Let the lens push the camera up and down a few times and sometimes the little resistance provided by the camera is enough to get things going again.

Try hitting your camera near the lens on the body with the soft tissue on the palm of your hand.

Other than that , I would take the camera to a repair centre for a evaluation to see if it would cost more to repair than to replace the camera.

If it is still under warranty I would suggest you take it in before trying any of these steps and remove any off-brand batteries or accessories as some stores are really fussy about warranty repairs on camera's with non-brand accessories.

You can also have a look at THIS link.

Hope the advise is useful. please do not hesitate to let me know if you need any further assistance. Also, please be so kind to let me know if you found this helpful.

Regards
Andrea

use some tape, or put a piece of something on top of the battery, when you close the battery door and latch it, it should hold the battery in place. That orange clip just holds the battery low enough that it comes in contact with the terminals at the bottom of the compartment.
Hope this helps
Jer

Contact Pentax and see if they will send you the part, for the tab + S/H it should cost you approximately $25, although I have recently heard they will not provide these items to customers anymore. If they're no longer providing replacements, your device will need to be sent to them for repair (approximately $70 incl labour).
Or... Get a piece of tape and place it over the battery and close the casing, other "ghetto rig solutions" include folding a piece of paper, placing it atop the battery (between the battery and the closing cover) and closing the flap, the paper will hold the battery against the pins and allow function.

Try to press & hold down the Green button (the trash can button on the bottom right corner) & see if it gets u out of green mode.

only tape it otherwise change the body cover

try downloading the firmware by going to the pentax website. You will find it under "support" tab. Look for software updates.