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Tech Tip
This month, resolve to revive or relinquish those old music players and point-and-shoot cameras — and retrieve any files trapped on the devices.
The popularity of the modern smartphone has banished many once popular devices to drawers and forgotten bins.Credit...J.D. Biersdorfer
Jan. 22, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET
Digital music players and cameras have largely been kicked to the curb by smartphones, yet many people still have them tucked away somewhere.
If you’ve been keeping that ancient iPod around because your computer croaked years ago and took your personal, ripped-from-CDs music collection with it, it’s time to recover those tracks.
And what about that old pocket camera? If you’re not using it, passing it along to a …
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Tech Tip
This month, resolve to revive or relinquish those old music players and point-and-shoot cameras — and retrieve any files trapped on the devices.
The popularity of the modern smartphone has banished many once popular devices to drawers and forgotten bins.Credit...J.D. Biersdorfer
Jan. 22, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET
Digital music players and cameras have largely been kicked to the curb by smartphones, yet many people still have them tucked away somewhere.
If you’ve been keeping that ancient iPod around because your computer croaked years ago and took your personal, ripped-from-CDs music collection with it, it’s time to recover those tracks.
And what about that old pocket camera? If you’re not using it, passing it along to a budding young photographer is a win-win situation. Here’s how to get started.
Making Connections
Given the technology of the early aughts, you are likely to need some type of USB cable to connect the device to your computer, although the first iPods used FireWire connections. (Some devices may also need separate power cords for charging.)
Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony and others still have user guides for older products on their sites. Ad-supported repositories like Manuals Online or ManualsLib also have thousands of digitized manuals.
If you haven’t found the original cables, look for a replacement from stores like Best Buy or Amazon. Be sure to identify which type you need, as USB cables have had several different plugs over the years, including Apple’s own dock and Lighting connectors.
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Apple’s dock connector cable, left, was used to connect iPods to other devices from 2003 to 2012. It was replaced by Lightning cable, which was used until Apple discontinued iPod production in 2022.Credit...J.D. Biersdorfer
Some newer computers have only the smaller, faster USB-C ports now instead of the larger USB-A jacks, so you may need a USB-C hub or adapter for the connection. (And beware of cheap “FireWire to USB” converters, which are typically fraudulent, as the technologies are different.)
Operation iPod
Apple’s iPod, introduced 25 years ago this October and retired in 2022, was the dominant music player of its day. To prevent piracy, Apple designed the devices to copy music in only one direction — from computer to iPod.
While music purchased from online stores can usually be downloaded again, files that were never backed up cannot. If your iPod is the sole home for the tracks you made from your CDs and other recordings, you’ll need to work around the restrictions.
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An inexpensive hub can connect an iPod that uses a 15-year-old USB cable to a newer computer that has only the smaller USB-C ports.Credit...J.D. Biersdorfer
Apple is phasing out its original iTunes software in favor of its Music app for newer Mac and Windows systems. If you are connecting an iPod to a computer that uses either program (or the Mac’s Finder) with a different media library, do not let the software automatically sync with the old iPod, as it could erase the files on the player. Choose the option to “manually manage” the iPod.
The specific steps for recovering your files will vary based on the type of computer, iPod and software you use. Community forums hosted by Apple and other websites have advice for different scenarios.
If you find the instructions too technical, file-manager software like iExplorer, iMazing, Sharepod or TouchCopy simplifies the process by displaying the iPod’s contents onscreen so you can choose what to move back to your Windows PC or Mac (prices start at about $30). In addition to music files, these programs can move playlists, videos and other content stored on the iPod.
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The iMazing software for Mac and Windows systems, which has a free trial available, is among the file-management programs that can copy files from an iPod back to a computer.Credit...iMazing
Files you created should play fine once you copy them back. Tracks embedded with copyright protection are likely to require a password.
Other Gear
MP3 players from other companies often have an easier transfer process, especially those that are essentially external hard drives that let you copy files using Windows File Explorer or the Mac’s Finder.
Certain music players, like Sony’s digital Walkmans, used the Windows Media Player software to manage files. You should be able to find specific instructions for various devices through a web search or in their manuals.
As for an old digital camera, if you see photos in its playback mode that you want, connect it to a computer with the appropriate cable. If your default program for importing photos doesn’t open, use Windows File Explorer or the Mac’s Finder to browse and copy the memory card’s contents when it shows up as an external drive.
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Connecting the camera or its memory card to the computer allows you to copy or import any photos to the machine if you haven’t done so already.Credit...Microsoft
If you can’t find the cable, many laptops have built-in Secure Digital reader slots for memory cards. If yours doesn’t, you can find inexpensive adapters for SD cards and other formats.
Recycle or Reboot?
Once you’ve rescued your old files — and backed them up to a cloud server or an external drive — you can decide what to do with the old device. Options include erasing it and either taking it to an electronics recycler or selling it.
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The iFixit site offers repair guides and solutions for more than 74,000 devices, including many relics from the early aughts.Credit...iFixit
If you’ve been using your player all along but it has an issue like a loose headphone jack, consider an electronics repair service. Or you can try repairs yourself with tutorials from iFixit, which offers step-by-step guides, manuals, parts for many gadgets (including iPod batteries) and even an artificial intelligence-powered FixBot for consultation.
Handing down the device to a younger generation — especially Gen Z, which has shown an interest in older tech — offers an outlet for creativity, as well as a glimpse of life before smartphones took over.
J.D. Biersdorfer has been writing about consumer technology for The Times since 1998. She also creates the weekly interactive literary quiz for the Book Review and occasionally contributes reviews.
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