2. Record with the standard play (SP) mode. Tapes recorded at the extended play (EP) speed have their magnetism jammed too tightly together to yield an optimal picture. Also, age causes slow-playing tapes to exhibit flag-waving and tracking problems. In addition, EP tapes play poorly on VCRs that are not perfectly adjusted.

3. Keep your tape in a dry place. Tapes enjoy the same temperature and humidity that people do. Leaving a tape in a damp basement will cause it to absorb moisture. Mildew may even grow inside the cassette, instantly causing head clogs. Also, high humidity promotes binder hydrolysis causing the tape to act sticky.

4. Don't store tapes near electromagnetic fields like those around electric motors, high intensity lamp bases, televisions, computers, power transformers, and loudspeakers. Leaving your tapes lying on top of your TV set will slowly erase them.

5. Don't place your cassettes on a carpet or slide their boxes around on a carpet. Carpets create a lot of static electricity which attracts dust, just the thing your videocassette doesn't want.

6. Keep storage temperature and humidity steady. Wide environmental swings cause the tape to expand and contract, causing stresses that stretch the tape.

7. Acclimate tapes before playing them. They should be the same temperature as the machine that plays them. If you bring a cold tape into a warm room, it will collect condensation just like a glass of iced tea. Seal the tape in a plastic bag and let it sit for a few hours and it will warm up while staying dry.

This technique applies in the winter when you take your tape from a cold car to the house, or in the summer when you take your tape from the air-conditioned indoors to the humid outdoors; sealing the tape keeps it dry.

8. Don't store your tape in a hot place such as anywhere in direct sunlight. The cassette shell will warp and your videotape will more than likely be ruined.

9. Store tapes upright rather than flat. Sometimes the tape winds or unwinds unevenly leaving tiny ridges sticking out from the roll. When the tape lies flat, those ridges rub against the sides of the cassette fraying them.

10. "Exercise" tapes once every year or so by winding them to the end and rewinding them. This relaxes the tape, reducing stresses that build up over time. Before playing a tape that hasn't been played for years, also wind it to the end and rewind it to the beginning before you play it; the relaxed tape is less likely to exhibit flag-waving and tracking problems.

11. Handle tapes gently. Banging cassettes around will damage exposed edges, affecting your sound or tracking. Keep precious tapes protected in hard, vinyl boxes, the kinds used at video rental stores. These will keep your cassettes dust free, and safe from being squashed.

12. Record important events on new, high-quality videotape. Although the words "high grade" does not guarantee that the videotape is superior, with a little reading and experimentation, you can settle on a brand and type of tape that works well for you.