Conon zr200 tape loading assembly will close with no tape in but will not close with tape in carriage

This sounds to me like tape slack. Try to open the tape path of your cassette carefully and wind the loose tape back until you regain tension. Close back the cover and retry. In case the same effect happens again, the tape department of your ZR200 is faulty. Only well schooled stuff should open your Cam because of delicate parts inside!!!
Best wishes
Norbert

Smacking it twice worked for me.

Ahh Are you sure the tape is compatible?check tape compatibility..That happen sometimes if its not compatible..

the head is dirty or the head is out of alignment.

it could have been forced at some time and has bent the loading door,,, maybe a bit of cassette broke off inside it and is jamming it up best bet is to drop it off at the repair shop let them fix it for you,,

close it up with out a tape in it.  Slap the side with the tape door three times.  Open it up and it should work.  Sounds stupid, but it works.  For real.

Get to Canon and see if they will spring for a new carriage assembly, as this is usually the culprit...accordianman

reading other threads here the soloution that works, yes for real, slap it on the tape side (closed) a few times then try to reload the tape, if it doesn't work the first time, close it and try slaping a few more times. I had to do it a few times but it does work.

What may have happened is, that in the process of forced removal, gear timing has been fouled up, assuming the cassette carriage is gear driven. Proper gear positioning is critical, and if it is off by one or more teeth, it won't load the tape properly. Often, there are marks or pointers on the gears which must be lined up, in a particular mode, as specified in manufacturer service literature. If there are gear teeth broken, or cracked gears, then they must be replaced. Servicing in such a case is questionable, as VCRs of the past 10+ years are poorly made, prone to break, disposable. Early units, like back in the '80s, were much higher quality, especially mechanically. Unless this is a high $$ rig, you will probably be better off trashing it, and purchasing something else.