Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Electrum => Topic started by: terrabyte on January 17, 2014, 04:13:49 AM



Title: Electrum Wallet Question: Roving addresses?
Post by: terrabyte on January 17, 2014, 04:13:49 AM
I started using the Electrum Wallet today as I needed a thin client.
I was a little surprised to see 5 ready addresses in the wallet under receiving. (usually I add new ones when I want to) but I went with it.
And wasn't sure what "Change" addresses meant. Later I read about what they might do.

Here is my question: I Just sent some BTC out, Let's say 2.5 BTC out of a total of 2.7 BTC.
However all 2.7 was sent out.  The 0.2 was sent to one of my Change addresses. This makes sense, I guess.
But now my original receiving address is not listed. The other 4 addresses all got bumped up the list, and a new 5th one was added.

Am I no longer 'owner' of that original receiving address?
All because it was 'zeroed' out?
If it's a published PAY ME HERE address, I won't get those BTC?

Thanks for any insight.


Title: Re: Electrum Wallet Question: Roving addresses?
Post by: odolvlobo on January 17, 2014, 04:26:08 AM
You still own the address. Electrum uses an algorithm to generate addresses based on your "seed", so it knows the private keys for every address you have used and every address you will ever use.

It is better to not reuse addresses and it is nice that electrum makes it easy. Even so, some people prefer to have a single receiving address. Maybe there is an option to support it.


Title: Re: Electrum Wallet Question: Roving addresses?
Post by: terrabyte on January 17, 2014, 04:45:43 AM
Thanks for your reply!
I also reopened the wallet, and accidentally expanded the "Used" subfolder in the addresses. And there was the original address.
Due to the way it was lined up with the other 5 receiving addresses, I thought it was the 'folder' for those 5 addresses.

Are you suggesting to use a different address every time for BTC in general? Or for users of Electrum?
Would you say the same for major vendors online that accept bitcoin?

In my case, the coins I sent out were to a mining pool, and dividends will be paid back to the address they were sent from. So I was needing to keep this address for a while!
Thanks.


Title: Re: Electrum Wallet Question: Roving addresses?
Post by: odolvlobo on January 17, 2014, 04:50:33 AM
Thanks for your reply!
I also reopened the wallet, and accidentally expanded the "Used" subfolder in the addresses. And there was the original address.
Due to the way it was lined up with the other 5 receiving addresses, I thought it was the 'folder' for those 5 addresses.

Are you suggesting to use a different address every time for BTC in general? Or for users of Electrum?
Would you say the same for major vendors online that accept bitcoin?

In my case, the coins I sent out were to a mining pool, and dividends will be paid back to the address they were sent from. So I was needing to keep this address for a while!
Thanks.

I don't know electrum very well, but I assume that if any BTC is sent to a used address, it will be promoted back to receiving.