Help... i put the sleep timer on one night and suddenly the remote stopped working, and there's a red "N" in the bottom right corner of my screen that wont go away...and before i get any replies about putting new batteries in the controller, i've already tried new batteries, and i cant even program a universal remote for the tv...what's with the "N" and how do i get rid of it...?! i've been putting up with it for over 2 years now!

call a dealer for service

Hello can you please post the brand and model of the television so we can find unlocking instructions.

Other RCA VCRs have had problems with flashing timer lights. Those could be fixed with service from an electronics repair person if it doesn't stop even after being unplugged for a while. But, try leaving it unplugged for a few hours. If that doesn't work, the electronics repair might be the way to go, or get a different VCR on eBay or from the local thrift store for pretty cheap.

You may have your sleep timer/wake up functions set by mistake or It could be because your remote batteries are low. Remotes are known to send off some weird signals when they're on the last bit of juice. Your TV could be interpreting infrared noise from your remote as an "On" command. The power button on the remote or the TV itself could be stuck. check your settings on the on screen menu to see if there are any errant settings.
To turn off the Sleep Timer, follow these steps:

1. Turn on your TV.
2. Press the MENU button on your remote control. ...
3. Press ENTER button on your remote to select Time. ...
4. Use the Up ( ) or Down ( ) arrow button on your remote to select Sleep Timer, and then press the ENTER button.

You can also try the fix in the video Below:

use the buttons on the front ... press them all until your menu comes up on the screen.....also you could try finding the manual .... buy a universal remote ..... buy a timer for the plug ... turn off the tv . stop watching tv before bedtime .... ask some1 to pop in and check if you have fallen asleep with the tv on , mums are usually always willing to do this for you , but i'd advise caution if your watching adult rated comment they usually do not condone this content ...let us now which option you go for and how it works out for you ... good luck friend

Open cover on the bottom part of the remote SLEEP button is there.

The following instructions are for the Emerson EWC1303/1903 tv/vcr. That's the closest match I could find to the Spongebob Squarepants 13' TV
If it's actually in Sleep mode, do the following:

TO CANCEL THE SLEEP TIMER
Press the WAKE UP/SLEEP button on the remote
control until “SLEEP TIMER” appears.
To view the time left for sleep timer press the WAKE
UP/SLEEP button twice, then press the MENU button
on the remote control to exit the sleep timer setting

If unsuccessful, try unplugging the TV for 1/2 hour, then plug it in and try turning it back on either manually or with the remote. Either of these should solve your problem. Best of luck to you!

First try to access the sleep timer menu from the controls on the TV to verify the TV is working.

If that works then the remote has the problem.
Now try this;
Step 1- Pull the batteries out of the remote and leave them out until Step 4.
Step 2- Press and release each and every button one at a time on the remote control until every button has been pressed and released at least once!
Step 3- If your remote has slide switches, you must move the switch to each position then repeat the button pushing in Step 2.
(When you're done, be sure to put the slide switch in the correct position to operate the unit the remote came with!)
Step 4- Put the batteries back into the remote, being very careful to install them correctly.
New batteries should be used if you're not sure about the old ones.
If this does not work, then you may need a new remote unit.

If you have original remote for t.v. , hit the button under the sleep timer button on remote, and eventually the closed cation words will be removed from the bottom right corner of t.v. Hope this helps , good luck .....

remove the batteries from remote ,then put im back and then try again