Did I ruin my VCR heads?
 

Hi

I've been digitizing my VHS tapes, using a Sony SLV-LX70S player and a GV-USB2 capture card, passing the signal through an LG DR-7923M DVD recorder, which seems to have a built-in TBC.
After playing several tapes, I noticed some marks on the image, typical of dirt on the heads. I decided to clean them as I always do, with cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol. After that, the SP tapes showed no problems, but the EP tapes showed some white horizontal lines. I thought I had inadvertently dirty them while cleaning them, so I looked for a better way to clean them and came up with the printer paper and isopropyl alcohol method. I did it, and this is the result (this tape is SP).

I think I ruined the heads. Is that correct? :depressed:

I'm positive, dead head. Cotton swab sure ruined it, you live and learn they say.

Much of the picture is there. If both heads were gone you'd only get snow, possibly a blue or black screen.

No, the heads are fine, Some VCRs get clogged beyond the normal way of cleaning and requires a skilled person to clean them up, If you lack the skills just find a good condition dry tape cleaning cassette and wet the hole on the cassette with distilled water and run it several times, this insures cleaning the entire tape path not just the heads.

I sometimes come across bad tapes that ruin the VCR and I use methodes and chemicals that are not recommended for an average person.

The noise on the sample video doesn't look like usual tape dropouts. They look like comets, suggesting electrical interference.

Not just white comets, but black comets. Black comets suggest head damage.

For your sake, I wish it is/was just a clog, or still dirty. Try to re-clean with a proper method, meaning NO COTTON SWABS! Use the copy paper method, 91%+ isopropyl alcohol. Don't use any "cleaner" (I don't care what it claims to be for), don't use anything else as the swab. No even chamois for the moment. I was to see what comes off on the paper. Post an image if the cleaning paper. Rotate heads counter-clockwise (a step I often forget myself, thanks @aramkolt).