I was in high school mid 80s. I brought my VHS over to a friends to try and copy a tape. It didn't work. We couldn't figure out why and an internet search

I was in high school mid 80s. I brought my VHS over to a friends to try and copy a tape. It didn't work. We couldn't figure out why and an internet search to discover work arounds wasn't yet available. So I guess it kinda worked. Honestly though most movies we were watching were rented anyway, we weren't buying very many. we would tape some shows off TV too.