I dug out an old VHS tape, and started watching it when the tape suddenly stopped playing. Any suggestions as to how to fix this?
The video player works fine; I've ejected the cassette, and the reels on the VHS itself are stuck. When I push the cog release button in, I can turn the reels by hand, but otherwise they're stuck solid (won't move forwards or backwards).
I would suggest fully fast forward and then rewind the tape a couple times as often old tapes tighten up and slip down the spool if left over time. FF and REW realigns the tape and has worked several times for me.
J
August 2009
With a small screwdriver you can dismantle the casette case and see what's causing the problem - if you really need the tape you might consider lifting it out and transferring it to another case.