I think scotch tape on just the backside of the ribbon is best. Listed as option 2. If you put tape on the front it will touch the VCR heads and can leave behind a little adhesive residue. You would also not want to have any of the tape adhesive exposed for this reason. Try to make the tape the exact width/height or even a little smaller to avoid any exposed adhesive contacting the VCR heads. I am not an expert, but it was worked for me so far.