Faulty SONY video camera?

Hi.
I have an oldish SONY video camera. Model: CCD F555E .
I have not used this camera for a time, but wanted to transfer some recording to my hard drive for editing. Unfortunately it refuses to work. It will switch on, I can see picture via the eye piece (everything seems to work) except the transport mechanism, so will not play back or record. And in the middle of the screen an underlined arrow flashes. The users' manual just state : Contact your nearest SONY Dealership! But alas, they were not very enthusiastic, hence my request for help.