What Canon technician told you that your camera did not have a CCD? You sure that he was from Canon? And also the cost of repair would likely be more than the latest A480. Also note that you can get an A470 for around $70 these days. But no this is likely not CCD failure and is more likely a stuck shutter.
A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. The symptoms of a stuck or "sticky" shutter are very similar to CCD image sensor failure. The camera may take black pictures (for shutter stuck closed), or the pictures may be very bright and overexposed, especially when taken outdoors (for shutter stuck open).
To confirm a stuck shutter, put the camera in any mode other than "Auto", and turn the flash OFF (you don't want to blind yourself for the next step). Next look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter. If so, please see the following for further info and a simple fix that may help:
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-fix-for-stuck-shutter.html
Note that the article says to set your camera to 15 second exposure. This is not possible with the A430. Instead set it to manual mode, turn the flash off, and go into a darkened room. Take your picture there. Open the door while the red and yellow lights are flashing. Now the possibility for success with this method is not that great so don't get your hopes up. But it's worth a try before shopping around for a new camera.
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