I'm betting you did the same thing I just did when you took off the round platter. When I took mine off, it snapped off and slipped under that white gear in the center. however, the belt path is actually on the platter itself! Simply fit the belt onto the bottom of the platter and put the platter back on the spindle. The belt can now be attached to the drive moter by using the hole in the platter fromthe top. It's actually very simple. Contact me at edgoodman@wowway.com if you have further questions. i also have a wuestion for you about something that is wrong with mine. It keeps acting like I'm hitting stop when I try to play a record. The problem seems to be in the slider mechanism on that white gear, almost as if I'm missing a spring. Can you tell me if your sliding mechanism seems to have a spring?
Ed Goodman
April 2006