Andrew, One of your guide posts may have been damaged or a part within the tape basket (mechanism) may have broken. When you put your tape inside...the tape probably jammed up because of this. You cannot open the tape compartment when it is not powered up or if the tape is jammed up. At this time you have a service issue. If your camcorder is out of warranty or several years old...it is better you buy new as repair can easily exceed or come close to the price of a new camcorder. Hope this helps.

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