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Bitcoin => Bitcoin Technical Support => Topic started by: optimator on March 29, 2013, 01:49:41 PM



Title: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: optimator on March 29, 2013, 01:49:41 PM
Hello,

I'm running 0.8.1 - I just noticed that the balance in shown in the wallet doesn't agree with the balance from http://blockchain.info/unspent?active=XXX

I've narrowed the discrepancy down to a single address. The blockchain info call shows more available than my wallet. Any ideas on how to determine why the differences exist?

Cheers!


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: optimator on March 29, 2013, 04:00:33 PM
Here's what I've been able to figure out so far... but I'm still confused  ???

Say I transfer 100 btc from my wallet to another address.

I know when creating the transaction my wallet will spend all from every transaction to get me the 100 btc. Anything over the 100 btc will be returned to me.

So I have my prev_out totaling 102.625 btc.

I send 100 btc and it goes to the correct address.

The 2.625 btc gets returned to me, and my wallet shows it available, and listunspent shows it available.

However, when I try dumpprivkey for the new address that the 2.625 btc was sent to, my wallet tells me it's not known. Why?


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: deepceleron on March 30, 2013, 08:01:01 AM
Do not look at blockchain.info or other block explorer websites to determine information about your wallet balance. You have many addresses in your wallet, some hidden from you, that together contribute to your balance. It is a feature that nobody on the Bitcoin network can reliably determine all the addresses that are yours.

You may have an amount removed from your wallet balance if you have transmitted any transactions which are not confirmed. I don't know why you are having problems dumping a key other than the address is not yours, I just confirmed that even unused reserve address keys can be dumped.


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: optimator on March 30, 2013, 12:46:25 PM
Do not look at blockchain to determine information about your wallet balance. You have many addresses in your wallet, some hidden from you, that together contribute to your balance. It is a feature that nobody on the Bitcoin network can reliably determine all the addresses that are yours.

You may have an amount removed from your wallet balance if you have transmitted any transactions which are not confirmed. I don't know why you are having problems dumping a key other than the address is not yours, I just confirmed that even unused reserve address keys can be dumped.

Got it - Thanks! So when bitcoind creates a transaction and there are funds to be returned to me, does bitcoind use one of the reserved addresses? Or does it create a new address for the transaction?


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: CIYAM on March 30, 2013, 12:53:07 PM
It will use the first reserved one in the list.


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: optimator on March 31, 2013, 02:18:42 AM
It will use the first reserved one in the list.


That make sense. But I can't dump the private key for that address. Any ideas why?

I guess I could add a new address and see if the new address was the address used and then see if I can dump the private key...


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: CIYAM on March 31, 2013, 03:30:19 AM
Oh - sorry - has it has been used it should not longer be "reserved" (the addresses that are marked as "reserved" are ones that you have not yet used either through creating an address explicitly or implicitly for receiving "change").


Title: Re: bitcoind balance doesn't agree
Post by: optimator on March 31, 2013, 06:39:55 PM
I have three return addresses that were created by sending money.

I tried adding 2 new addresses in bitcoind to see if the newly created address (from the reserve addresses?) would be the return addresses. They are not.

I also can not get access to the private key for the return addresses.

Does anyone know if this is the expected behavior (i.e. the private key for return addresses is inaccessible) ???