VHS & VCR Repair : How to Salvage a Videocassette

[snipe609]

Hi I have three VHS tapes that won't turn, I put them in a player that I know works but they won't play, when I took them out of the player it seems like they just won't turn forward or backwards? they were put away for years, it's just these three it's like there just locked up? if you can help me out that would be great, thanks..

[gungadin36]

Another simpler way to remove a jammed or stuck VCR tape is to just unplug the unit, wait a few seconds and then plug the unit back in, more times then not the unit will reset itself and re-time itself and automatically eject the tape, this is of course if someone hasn't tried to reach in with a screwdriver to try to pry it out or if one of the many belts has broken or is slipping:)

[EPiCJonnoman]

THE REASON WHY THIS HAPPENS ON DVD/VCR COMBOS IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR EACH ONE TO LOAD WHEN YOU SWITCH IT ON,

IF YOU ARE DUBBING A TAPE TO DVD MAKE SURE WHEN YOU PRESS THE DUB BUTTON THAT IT IS ON DVD

IF YOU SWITCH BETWEEN THEM TOO FAST THIS MAY CAUSE THE TAPE TO JAM ASWELL.

[angelpichu1]

ugh....i have one of those tv/ tape combos and to turn it on you have to stick a pencil in the power hole and push a button. to make matters worse, it won't even accept any tapes! and sometimes when i hit the play button it fastfowards instead! wtf? is it common for this to happen?

[Chianagirl]

That didn't help it jammed more

R.I.P VCR and r.s tape

[trashkan66]

philips bad,very bad.. carbitch... panna.. soonic good

watch?v=-z4iw8Ppo1o

@Markorepairs know problem fix

[VideoMajestic]

Top Loaders were better than front loaders, as it lifts the tape up from the threading guides.

[gungadin36]

@VideoMajestic - Top loaders feed the video tape around the drum the same as front loaders, it don't lift the tape up, it only lifts the video cassette up after the tape is fully loaded into the cassette just the same as a front loader does, the front loader lifts it and then pushes it to the front instead of just popping up like a top loader, if the tape don't get loaded back into the cassette properly then both units will leave the tape hanging and it will get hung up on the tape guides.

[VideoMajestic]

@gungadin36 I think you misunderstood what I meant,

Top loaders lifts up further from the deck in eject mode than front loaders. Thus reducing the risk of tape getting stretched when the cassette is taken out of the machine. (of course after when it's unthreaded)

Modern front loaders are much slimmer than top loaders and does not lift the tape up further from the threading guide. The electronic eject mechanism would keep pulling the cassette when the tape is caught.

[gungadin36]

@VideoMajestic - This discussion could go on forever, we would only continue to confuse the people coming here to see how to do something, you must understand that top loaders retract the tape just like front loaders, in a properly running VCR the tape is always inside the cassette before being ejected by either unit, whether top loader or front, what it takes to do that is beyond the scope of this video, and by us going back an forth will only make things worst for people wanting to learn.

[VideoMajestic]

Of course this depends on the threading fault, be it condensation, sticky tape, idler/play idler failing (or reel motors in V2000) etc etc

[compra77]

If possible to recovery a VHS ? i delete it and i lost very important scenes ! If possible to recovery ???

[W2QYVkz789]

Oh, I invented a machine for clean the dirty old VHS tapes. It's wonderful!!!!!!!!

[mickk44flungie]

Damn it, non of these tell me how to actually repair a snapped tape.

Every thing else but..............

[akumie]

@mickk44flungie Do like me, as soon you see a video and its working just record the tv with your videocamera because soon enought the machine or the tv will stop working

Worse quality maybe but atleast you save your old family movies before they go dead

[ModestRHottest]

how do you unstick a video tape? The tape won't advance inside the tape case. It sticks both ways.

thanks.