I unearthed a Minolta X-7A from my parents' closet and I hope it isn't beyond help. It seems to be in good condition except that the shutter/advance film mechanism is stuck. It only swivels about half of the way forward. I also can't see out of the eyepiece for some reason. I am a complete camera novice and therefore am not up to the task of undertaking the repairs myself, but when I take the camera to the shop I'd at least like to tell them where to start!
First thing with an old camera would be replacing the batteries and checking if there is still film loaded. To check if there is film in the camera without opening it is trying to turn the rewind crank (top left seen from behind) in the direction indicated by an arrow on it. If it blocks there is film loaded. If it is so rewind it by pressing the little button on the bottom of the camera and rewinding the film with the crank. Not being able to look through the finder means that either the mirror is locked up or the lens cap is still on. The X-7A is the same camera as the better known X-300/X-370 and batteries required are 2 pcs. of SR44 batteries. Have a look in the camera manual on how to replace the batteries (and for checking back which type is required). If it is lost you can download one here: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/minolta/minolta_x-7a/minolta_x-7a.htm Download is free but a very small donation is asked for keeping this excellent resource alive. The manual will also tell you how you can remove the lens to check if the mirror is locked up or not. With the lens removed and the mirror in it's down position the camera should look as seen in the picture on Mike Butkus site. These would be the first things to check IMHO.
