VHS tapes are one of the most popular digital video recording and storage technologies available today. They’re also a staple of home video storage and collection. Many people already own VHS tapes, and many home video storage systems even come with VCRs as add-ons.

Not everyone knows how to reset a VHS tape at home. It’s important to know how to do this so you don’t record and watch VHS tapes that you don’t own. You might be reading this because you’re considering converting your VHS system from DVD to VHS. Or you might be reading this because your VHS system has a problem and you want to make sure it doesn’t record anything more than it does now.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of resetting a VHS tape at home. You might want to read on to the end because there are a lot of different ways you can fix a VHS tape at home.

What Is A VHS Tape Reset?

VHS tapes are an old and discontinued recording technology. However, the format is still used today in some home video systems, and a number of VHS machines still come with VCRs attached.

The idea with resetting a VHS tape at home is that you remove the VCR and replace it with a new one, then return the old VHS tape to the system. You then remove the old VHS tape recorder and put it into a safe place and turn off the video recorder.

You remove the remote and turn it off too, and then turn the old VHS tape into a digital tape.

The VHS tape is then recorded and transferred to the new digital tape.

How to Reset A VHS Tape

If you’ve got a VHS tape, you can probably pull it out, flip it over, and press play on it. You can do this at home by using a small screwdriver or a small spanner. A small screwdriver is perfect for this job, and you can use a large spanner or a hammer to knock loose pieces of plastic.

You can also remove the tape from the house, and then store the tape in a safe place. We highly recommend keeping a VHS tape safe from children. Apps like Siri and Alexa can access those VHS tapes, and they often have parental controls that can make them unappealing to watch.

In addition to removing the VHS tape, you can also clean the track and trace (aka “track”) of the tape. This usually involves cleaning the spindle and spindle tip, which are located at the base of the tape recorder.

Although it’s not necessary to do this yourself, it’s a good idea to have a professional do it for you since it takes a lot of work and is not cheap.

VHS Reset At Home

If you don’t have a VHS tape in the house, you can still fix it at home. The key here is to find an old VHS home video system that you can drop into the washing machine and run for a minimum of 30 minutes.

This will convert the video signal from the old VHS system into an electrical signal that can be charged via an appropriate outlet.

After the 30-minute rinse cycle, unplug the video tape and plug it into the dryer venting system. That’s it! You’ve got yourself a new VHS tape at home!

How to Add A VCR To A VHS Tape

If you have a VHS tape, you can probably do this yourself. If you don’t, there are a few things you can do to help the process along.

For one, you can add a VCR to the end of the VHS tape without removing the tape from the system. To do this, turn on the video recorder and connect the VCR to the internet.

Next, navigate to the saved home video directory (like the one above) and navigate to the directory where you recorded your VHS tape. Then, navigate to the “video” directory and select the “H” directory to load the recorded VHS video.

VHS Tape Wrapping

Unlike the other two video recording and storage technologies discussed in this article, VHS tape is a relatively static technology. It’s not changing too quickly, so you should be able to keep up with the latest trends in video recording and storage.

The one downside to this is that if you’re a home video storage system freak and always keep a VHS tape on your system, you might have to unpack the tape and put it in a safe place.

That’s probably not a good idea, because then you’ll have to deal with all that dirty track, trace, and spindle!

Here’s how you can fix this:

How to Protect Your VHS Tape

If you’re using your VHS tape in a home, or at a work location, or somewhere else where someone can see you watching it, it’s critical that you take steps to protect it.

When you have a VHS tape, you’re responsible for it like if you were responsible for a phone or computer backup. If something goes wrong, you have nothing to fall back on.

You need to keep this in mind if you’re just starting out as a VHS tape owner. It might be easy to get lost in the details of digital video recording and storage, but in the long run, it’s much more impactful to protect your investment by recording and storing VHS tapes as soon as you get them.

Final Words

VHS tapes are a great example of a tech technology that has been adaptively designed to work in different environments. They’re portable, they don’t get as hot as some technologies do, they’re relatively inexpensive to purchase, and they come with a warranty that can grow with you.

VHS tapes are a great way to start building a home video system. They don’t have the bells and whistles you might expect from a larger format video player like a DVR or a camcorder. They have the basics and they might just be what you’re looking for in your home video collection.

If you have questions about how to set up or use a VHS tape system, or you need help fixing a VHS tape at home, or you’d like to have your VHS tape sent to you as a gift, contact us. We’d be happy to help.