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Help - Stuck VHS tape


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I've got a VHS tape that appears to be completely rewound, but I can't play or Fast Forward it. It's not the machine, I've tried it in another with the same results (the tape won't move, and the counter doesn't count up). Other tapes do work. Does anyone know how to fix it?
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Is it an old tape, or has it been sitting in direct sunlight for awhile?

 

If you can't turn the reels by hand, something's gumming up on the reel itself. You're going to need to open the cassette and carefully see what's causing the tape to stick, then gently remove the sticky part. Once you get it moving, pop it back in the video machine and excercise the tape by fast forwarding to the end and ten rewinding to the beginning.

 

No guarantees it won't do this again...as soon as possible, make a dub of the original to a fresh cassette or other media.

 

- Jeff

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When I press the release, the reels move freely, but it still won't work in the machine. It's just some stuff I recorded off the air, nothing I want to keep, but I'd like to see it before trashing the cassette.
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Update - I opened it up, and lost the springs that hold the plastic gizmos in place that lock the reels, so I romoved the plastic gizmos all together and put it back together. Oddly enough, although the tape would now move on the bedroom machine, the counter still didn't work, and the tape would not play, but the counter does work on the den machine, and the tape plays there. Now I can see the Worst of American Idol, and Jarasic [sp] Park. Thanks guys :)
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