Just wanted to let you know, I got that error. After many fustration trys to get rid of it, noticed a small gap in the cover of the tape transport. Held it shut and the error went away. The camcorder has not been used much and has never been mistreated or dropped, just poor design. (No I am not going to buy another Sony camcorder)

Yes, I found a solution. I found that by blowing a hair dryer into the cassette chamber for 10 - 20 seconds on "hot" followed by a further short period on "cool". The problem went away. There is, of course, a danger thet the heat could damage the circiut board components and ruin the camera for good. I had already decided to throw oit away and buy a Canon rather than pay Sony £175 + vat