If the VS freezes up when attempting to turn on and boot up, then the hard drive may be fragmented. The following will guide through unlocking the system and forcing an initialization.
Note: This procedure will erase all data on the hard drive. If the VS is locked up and won't boot, this is the only procedure available to unlock the unit. The only way to recover data is if backup CDs were created prior to the VS freezing up. If backup CDs were not created prior to the VS locking up, then there's no way to recover the data on the hard drive unfortunately.
Unlock and Force Initialization Procedure:
- With the VS recorder powered off, press and hold the UNDO button and the STOP button.
- When a window appears on the screen with "Jump to Force Initialize", you may release the two buttons.
- Press ENTER. The hard drive will begin the initialization process.
If the problem continues, the VS will need service unfortunately. However due to the age of the product and the fact that parts are no longer available for the VS line of recorders, our service department no longer services these. You may try contacting a local service center here:
https://www.roland.com/us/support/service_repair/service_centers/