Will not record or play back VHS for more than 30 seconds

I think you might have a problem with the VHS mechanism. Perhaps damage to the mechanical parts. If the mechanism can't perform the task it has been set after a very short period it will send a message to the electronics to shut down. This prevents further damage to the tape or system.

It's not loading correctly. You need to open the cover (unplug first) and get familiar with the loading mechanism. You can get the tape out by rotating the loading motor wheel.

If you are trying to dub a commercial (pre-recorded) tape it will not work. If this is not what you are trying to do, get back to us.

look to see if tape will fully load and if FF or REWIND work, if not a transport problem, drive mechanism not moving the tape, unit will sense this and shut unit off----even a problem in the loading mechanism for the VHS tape not loading the tape all the way will do the same thing.

Depending on the procedure you may be pressing the record button instead of the D.Dubbing or Dubbing button. When recording from VHS to DVD you must first, load the blank DVD and VHS home movies, then play the VHS movies, then PAUSE the VHS movie when you want to START recording... then the only the you have to do is pressing the D.Dubbing button or the Dubbing button. If your VHS tapes starts to play after the Dubbing button is pressed you have been successful in Dubbing.

Check the tab on the VHS tape be sure it is there. If not place a [piece of transparent tape on it to simulate the tab and try again.

Connect with RCA cable to RCA jacks\plugs::
output [player] audio to INPUT [recorder]
OUTPUT [player] Video to INPUT [recorder]
*************************************************
Place blank tape in RECORDER, Tape that you want to record from into PLAYER.Press Record [recorder machine], wait one second, press PAUSE.( thats to give record tape "breathing" space.) Set up your player tape to start playing. When you know what you want to record, press PAUSE again to begining recording. Press PAUSE after the recorded section to install 2nd tape, etc. etc.
NOTE:: some VCRs use PAUSE 2nd time to release and continue recording, while some machines you must press RECORD button again to release PAUSE. you must expirement before begining your project.

Insert the VHS and rewind or fast forward to the point you want to begin copying from.
Insert the disc you plan to use and format it if necessary. It will usually prompt you if it is necessary to do so.
Put the television on the channel or input needed to view the recorder on-screen.
Select the DVD drive and set the record mode you prefer - XP, SP, LP or EP.
There are two things you can do:
1. Press and hold the dubbing/copying button on the recorder itself in the direction of the DVD for 3 seconds. If you are using a DVD-R/RW or +R you will receive a message stating to press Play to record without finalizing or press Record to record and finalize. If you are using +RW or -RAM, these cannot be finalized - therefore this message will not display.
2. You can access the Functions menu and go to Copy, then select the copy direction VHS to DCD and select Start Copying.

Is the vhs tape copy protected? I think you can only copy your own vhs tapes or what you record on tv. I could be wrong though.

There are no such adapters that would allow 8mm, Hi8 and Mini DV tapes to be played in a VHS VCR. Only the old VHS-C tapes can fit and play in an adapter. There are several reasons why 8mm (or Hi8 and miniDV tapes) cannot be physically played in a VHS VCR: 1. 8mm (Hi8, miniDV) is a different format with different technical characteristics than VHS. These formats were never developed with the intention to be mechanically compatible with current VHS technology. 2. 8mm/Hi8 tapes are 8mm wide (miniDV is 6mm wide), while VHS tape is 1/2" wide, making it impossible for a VHS video head to read the taped information correctly. 3. 8mm/Hi8/miniDV tapes are recorded and played at different speeds than VHS, so even if the tapes could physically fit into a standard VHS VCR, the VCR still couldn't play back the tapes at their correct speeds. 4. 8mm/Hi8/minDV audio is recorded differently than VHS. 8mm/Hi8 audio is recorded in AFM HiFi mode, while miniDV audio is recording in 12-Bit or 16-Bit PCM digital audio format. So, even if the video could be played back in a VHS VCR, the audio could not be read properly. 5. 8mm/Hi8 video is of higher resolution than VHS and is recorded in a different bandwidth length (miniDV video is recorded digitally), so once again, a standard VCR still could not read the information correctly, even if the tape could fit into a VCR.