My brand new JVC s-VHS deck was a victim of the great Northeast power outage. When the power came back, the VCR wouldn't turn on. Called JVC and they assured me it was probably just a fuse. I went and bought three of them from an electronics store (yes, definitely the right fuses) and one after the other, they all popped the minute I plugged in the VCR. Can anybody think of a simple solution here, or do I need to bite the bullet and take the thing to a repair shop? Could the problem be the wiring in the house? This building is well over 100 years old and none of the outlets are grounded.

Some VCR power supplies use what is called a fusible link. It is similar to a fuse but is not generally user replaceable. It may be soldiered in place. The power supply may have been damaged also. Look around the power supply see if you see anything that is burnt. If your not familiar with electrical repairs you may just want to put it together and have it look at by a technician.

Thanks.