Rebel XT is mostly dead - suggestions?

I've read other threads about this but haven't seen one that exactly describes the scenario...

I have a Rebel XT that was working fine. One day I set it down for a couple minutes, came back, and it gave me the err 99 message. After fiddling with it a bit I gave up and moved on to a new camera. But it's still sitting there on a shelf and could make a decent backup if I can make it work again.

So here's where it stands right now...
- Switch it on and there is absolutely no sign of life. As if the battery was dead. Have tried multiple batteries that are fully charged.
- Remove the CF card and switch on, and it displays the message "no CF" on the B&W screen, then shuts off. No life on the color LCD.
- No, it doesn't appear that there are any bent pins in the CF slot. And I have tried multiple cards.
- I've tried pulling the battery for half an hour or more.
- I've removed the internal battery and tried inserting one from a Rebel XS that is currently working just fine.
- I've cleaned lens and battery contacts with a cloth or q-tips to the best of my ability. Same thing happens regardless of whether a lens is mounted.

Is there anything else worth trying? I'm given some glimmer of hope by the fact that it is getting power to tell me if there's no CF card present. But that's all I can get it to do at this point....

Is this the behavior I would get if it thought the battery door or CF door were open? Any hints that one of those could be at fault?

Tryed this?

http://www.shawnolson.​net/a/1158/canon-10d-err-99.html

Thanks for the suggestion. I have done it in the past and just tried again, to no avail. All it will do is flash "no CF" if I switch it on without a card. Under all other circumstances, there's no sign of life.

sounds like the perfect excuse to trade it in for a 7d or 5dII

midget wrote in post #10819900
sounds like the perfect excuse to trade it in for a 7d or 5dII

It would be a better excuse if I didn't already have a 1Ds2. Though the thought had crossed my mind.

I may have made an important discovery...

I was checking the switches on the CF and battery doors. I just gently touched the CF switch and it fell right off! I'm guessing that it was bent/broken all along and the camera thinks that the door is always open.

So... Can someone who has a Rebel XT please try this for me?
- Insert a CF card but open the CF slot door. Switch the camera on. Is there any sign of life?
- Switch the camera off. Pop out the CF card. Again leave the door open and switch it on. Does it flash a message "no CF"?

The above is exactly what happens to me. I'm really curious if this behavior is indeed what happens when the camera thinks the CF door is open.

Have you tried smacking it real hard a couple times on a table? I do that with most things that don't work. Mostly TV remotes in hotel rooms.......

I'd check for you...but my XT turned into a paper weight this weekend Froze after taking a photo, I removed the battery...put it back in...and I haven't been able to turn it back on since. Changed the internal clock battery, tried a different camera battery, "resetting" it, cleaned battery and lens contacts...nothing After reading a few things online, it looks like it's most likely a blown fuse.

Though it is an older camera, it was still great to use (being much smaller and lighter than my 1D)...and it was my first DLSR after all!

For your problem, if you are getting something displayed on the screen, then that's something...might just be the CF door?? (but not sure if there is an easy fix...or how you check).

Sorry to hear about your own XT...

Right, I'm thinking it just may be the switch on the CF door. It's hard to know without replacing it, but I'm hoping that if someone is able to try the things I described above, that might help confirm whether these symptoms are consistent with what happens when the camera thinks the CF door is open, or if that's a separate issue.

You need Miracle Max from The Princess Bride.

Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him.
Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

Yno wrote in post #10822352
You need Miracle Max from The Princess Bride.

Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him.
Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

That's EXACTLY what went through my mind when I read the title!!

Just done as you requested

1 Card in, Door open, Camera on ------ dead

2 Card out, Door open, Camera on -----dead

3 Card out, door closed, camera on----- message NO CF Card

John