I was watching an old vhs tape, turned it off for a moment, and when I turned it back on the tape only played static. I put it in another VCR but again there is only static. The tape was working fine and all of a sudden it just won't work. Any idea on what happened or what could fix this??
Maybe the cassette mechanism is damaged or stuck or broken or the tape is torn or twisted or damaged in some way. Does it fast wind forwards and backwards OK? Have you looked at the tape?
Yes the tape fast forwards and rewinds. I even took the actual tape reels out of the casette and switched them with a different casette that I know works, and I still only see static, although the good tape that switched still works fine. Is it possible for the entire content on a tape to demagnitize or just get ruined in an instant? I have never seen anything like this and the tape is very important to me.
Yes it certainly is possible. What is more likely, I feel, is tape damage, possibly bottom edge damage. Are there any ripples or serrations along the bottom edge of the tape? Was this a tape which has been stored for a long time? Especially if not rewound? Is the player/VCR one that had not been used for a long time? In either case the tape can get damaged. Some people say the type of tape can make a difference - I've heard about people playing a 10 years old tape once, all goes well but when they try to play it again, just noise. It seems to happen mainly with "high quality" or so-called "pro" VHS tapes, the magnetic layer starts peeling and flaking off once you start playing it. People doing captures realise that the first play they do of an old tape may be their one and only chance, so they treat it with kid gloves - no fast forwarding or pausing - just play it through.
