A long time ago, I acquired a bunch of old Jackie Gleason Show tapes and the tape I have for whatever reason won’t go down in the VCR. It just won’t go down after being pushed in. Reminds me a bit of the old Nintendo Entertainment System. The tape is the exact same size as my others. What could I do? This is my tape.

Have you tried asking at

https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vcr-repair/

Is the guard moving??

Check the guard on the tape (The Thing right by the tape on the front)

Sometimes I have them stick and they dont go up (Open) so the tape wont go in...

I have taken a few off cause they were causing problems...


The other day at salvation army I found some Honeymooners episodes recorded on cassette... If they are still there next time I go,I might get 1 ir 2 to hear how it sounds..


Good luck buddy :)

The record protection tab is punched out. If the machine is set to record anything, it's possible the machine will eject the tape immediately.

Even if that's not the case, you might try covering the tab hole with a piece of electrical tape, just to see if the tape will load.

That wouldnt keep it from going down Stevie :)

Hi Frank,
When my mother would watch VHS tapes on our VCR she never had a problem like yours. But it is possible that the tape might be already broken because when you probably stuck it in your VCR you probably tried to force it out and it got stuck. Also it is important that all VHS tapes have a warning on the guards saying "do not touch the tape inside" which is what you did possibly. Another thing I should ask you is the tape inside unwound or broken because that also could play a factor on why your tape won't play. Did you try rewinding the tape when you first got it and how long have you had your VCR?
Hope this advice helps you Frank and hope you get to enjoy your Honeymooners tape
Hawkee

Hi Frank,
When my mother would watch VHS tapes on our VCR she never had a problem like yours. But it is possible that the tape might be already broken because when you probably stuck it in your VCR you probably tried to force it out and it got stuck. Also it is important that all VHS tapes have a warning on the guards saying "do not touch the tape inside" which is what you did possibly. Another thing I should ask you is the tape inside unwound or broken because that also could play a factor on why your tape won't play. Did you try rewinding the tape when you first got it and how long have you had your VCR?
Hope this advice helps you Frank and hope you get to enjoy your Honeymooners tape
Hawkee

Thanks for your help but hawkee I never tampered with the tape at all. It just won’t go down. Sonething is causing the tape not to go down. I’ve had the vccr for 20 years.

I had this happen previously with a particular tape that was stubborn and wouldn't load inside the VCR. I just kept trying and the tape eventually did load so that's what I would suggest, keep trying and the tape hopefully will load properly inside the VCR. Good luck.

Also, when you pick up the tape, does it feel unusually heavy at all? Sometimes these tapes that have a heavier shell casing can have loading issues with front loader VCR's.

I had this happen previously with a particular tape that was stubborn and wouldn't load inside the VCR. I just kept trying and the tape eventually did load so that's what I would suggest, keep trying and the tape hopefully will load properly inside the VCR. Good luck.

Also, when you pick up the tape, does it feel unusually heavy at all? Sometimes these tapes that have a heavier shell casing can have loading issues with front loader VCR's.

Thanks.

I measured the tape with another one that did load and it’s the same measurement. I didn’t check the weight but it feels the same.

Thanks.

I measured the tape with another one that did load and it’s the same measurement. I didn’t check the weight but it feels the same.

The only other thing I can think of is what Dude mentioned previously and that is to check the tape guard on the VHS cassette. If there's a problem with the tape guard, that could prevent the cassette from loading into the VCR.

Yes the guard is supposed to go UP when you push it in but sometimes get stuck...

Is the guard moving??

Check the guard on the tape (The Thing right by the tape on the front)

Sometimes I have them stick and they dont go up (Open) so the tape wont go in...

I have taken a few off cause they were causing problems...


The other day at salvation army I found some Honeymooners episodes recorded on cassette... If they are still there next time I go,I might get 1 ir 2 to hear how it sounds..


Good luck buddy :)

Thanks. I tried your method and it actually goes in. How about that?

Im glad it works for ya buddy!!!

Im glad it works for ya buddy!!!

Thanks. I now transferred all of it to dvd. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before maybe except for the ads.

Who cares about spam ads right??

However on my tape of ET from 1991 that was recorded off a local channel here bas the ads also taped.. I watch them because it reminds me of how beautiful stuff used to be :(