Slap it!
This is a problem I've seen a few times on Sony cameras (including my own PC1000e) The tape loading sounds lethargic and slow and very often loading goes hand in hand with the tape getting stuck on the spooler motor guides in the camera and this can sometimes put a nasty kink in the tape if you don't extract it carefully.
But the solution is easy, with the tape out and the camers closed, simply slap the camera on the r/h side fairly sharply with your fingers, open it up and reload the tape. If it doesn't work (I bet it does though!) try it a few more times. The problem can re-occur but you'll get to know the correct degree of 'slap' to sort it out.
Phil TK, April 2010
