It is an SD630. I mistakenly used the A630 software the first time around. I reformatted the disk, installed ixus65_sd630-100a-0.9.8-813-full.zip and tried it in the camera again. No luck.
Not sure what firmware was reported when I did the vers.req file trick, but I think I recall GM1.00 or something like that... I never updated the firmware after I bought it.
The camera is simply dead... nothing I do will bring up a screen: different cards from other working cameras, different batteries, no card at all. Different batteries that work on other cameras.... simply no response at all.
Do you think it might be the battery cover switch is acting up? that the camera doesn't think the cover is closed? If so, any ideas how to overide that switch?