All:

My Canon Powershot S500 [or, as they say elsewhere, the IXUS] is
causing
me some trouble. Would y'all be so kind to review the following list
of s
ymptoms and offer your thoughts as to the possible root-cause(s) and
possible cures? Worth repairing or time to junk it?

Here's the list of woes:

1. Cannot access settings when in Shooting mode and using the FUNC
menu. For example, ISO Speed, White Balance, Shutter Mode, etc are all
INACCESSIBLE to me. Indeed, when using FUNC all I can change is the
Image compression and resolution settings - everything else cannot be
accessed.

2. It seems that all I can take are pictures in Automatic mode. Moving
the Shooting Mode Dial to either, Manual, Stitch Assist or Movie
results
in no change from Automatic mode functionality. Thus, I can't capture
moving images, do panoramic shots or do anything except crappy Auto
mode.

3. A purple bar is now present along the top of all images. The bar
shows up on the LCD prior to taking the snap and, in some cases,
disappears once the image has been captured. Sometimes, however, this
purple stripe/bar is present in the final shots.

So, my once fully-functioning Powershot S500/IXUS has been effectively
neutered. Any ideas as to what it will take to restore it to is former
glory and why it's misbehaving?

Many thanks,
Parkesy