Vandalizing my G500
 
My Minolta G500 is usually in a pocket 24/7 unless it's being used. So the case switch got all full of lint. I popped off the front cover.
   
It didn't really pop off. With all the screws out, one tab held the cover. I finally brute forced it off and broke a tab on the cover,
Bye bye warranty. It had expired anyway.
   
This is the lever for the case switch, mounted in the cover. Cleaned it with compressed air, solvent, and a pick. The electricak switch itself was not affected by the dirt. The linkage inside the cover was restricted by the dirt.
   
Update: Feb 2007
It's too late for me, but I found the screw that prevented the front cover from coming free. It's inside the battery compartment and the screw's purpose is to hold the broken tab pictured above.

In summary:

Two screws on the left and right sides of the cover.
Two screws on the bottom (these are the short ones)
One screw inside the battery compartment.

Future work will involve trying to disassemble enough of the camera to expose the sensor .. which need to be cleaned.