Bitcoin Forum

So my Ledger firmware is ancient 1.3.1, and still have the old Chrome app.. It used to work just fine..
Haven't touched it in forever..

Is it still going to work just like it always did? So I can send all the coin off of it and reset it as new with new firmware?
Really don't even want to screw with it right now.. Can I just use the old stuff for now and leave it alone?

Think I have the seed, but have a few of them and am not 100% sure which is which or if I even have the right one for it anymore.. :(

Why don't you launch it and see if it works? It might work, but Ledger hasn't maintained it for some time now. If it doesn't work, you should still be able to use your Ledger with Electrum.


You can download "Recovery Check" app using the Ledger Manager (if the Chrome app turns out to be working for you) so that you can check whether or not you have the correct seed without having to reset the device. You won't have to move your coins before the update if you turn out to have the correct seed.

It seems the same but I haven't tried to use it to send or anything..
The price it quotes is very wrong though..

What about the Ledger Manager app? Can you access it to download “Recovery Check”? If you can’t then you will have to try using the Chrome app/Electrum to move your coins before the update. You could also try importing all of your seeds into Electrum, but that would compromise them and you would need to move all the coins stored on those wallets. I would do the former if I were you.

Since you're not sure if you have the correct seed (or if you have it at all), and I'm not sure that the Recovery App can be installed on with such old firmware (to check seed), if it's just BTC, create a new wallet(any desktop wallet you trust), and send everything to that new wallet by using Electrum as UI. Then you can try to make a firmware update by downloading the latest Ledger Live and following the instructions that will eventually lead you to version 1.6.1. Since you have version 1.3.1, the update will take a little longer because you can't go directly to 1.6.1.

You didn't write which OS you use, but it's important that it's not Windows 7 - it hasn't been supported by Ledger for a long time, and can create big problems with the firmware update.

Update Ledger Nano S firmware (https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002731113-Update-Ledger-Nano-S-firmware)

Click on Version older than 1.5.5 on posted link to see more detailed instructions.

Not being sure whether the mnemonic code is correct is kind of difficult to work with.

You should fix your problem now, instead of facing it later.

What are you going to do if your HW wallet stops working at some point in the future? You need to make sure you got the correct mnemonic code.


Either move all your funds to a new temporary wallet and set up your HW wallet from scratch, or set it up with the same mnemonic checking whether the addresses match.
And when doing so, make sure to update everything to the latest version. You really don't want to use an outdated firmware with outdated software.

I just have too many seeds laying around.. I’m sure I have it somewhere if I searched, like I actually needed it..

It’s a bit off putting that the thing wants to be updated so much, it makes me nervous, and I want to be able to just forget about it for long periods of time and not have to maintain it..

All of those updates in just a couple years, really?

Seed is the most important thing, and if you had it, you wouldn't be in a situation like this right now.


From version 1.3.1 (2017) to the last 1.6.1 there is only 5 updates (https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010446000-Ledger-Nano-S-firmware-release-notes), which is not much for 3 years if you take that it is something that protects such sensitive information as private keys. I don’t think it should be too difficult to set aside 5-10 minutes each year for new firmware.

You should know that those who have even older firmware are completely disabled from making updates, but Ledger replaced their devices for free.

Oh yeah.  I've had my Ledger S for probably just over a year now, and I've had to update it I don't know how many times--but it's been quite a few.  And I've had my Nano X for just a month or two and have had to update it at least twice IIRC.

Man, I wish I had those kinds of luxury problems.  Lol.  In any case, with trial and error and the suggestions of members here, I have little doubt you'll solve your issue. 

I don't know how you store your seed phrases, but you don't put any kind of notation on them as to what wallet they came from?  I used those little cards Ledger provides with their devices, and I made notes as to which was the X and which was the S--and then I laminated them and hid them safely away. 

I would not risk it using ancient old ledger firmware, because if I remember correctly they had some serious bugs before in 2019 and they called it 'crucial security fix for Bitcoin app',
without that all coins could be sent from all your accounts without any warning.

I just wanted to know if the old chrome app will still send like it used to..
I’m probably gonna just try it..

I was pretty sure the Chrome Apps had been deactivated, but as long as you are sure you aren't using a fake one, then you can only try. Just make sure to double check everything on the Ledger screen so you don't end up sending all your coins to someone else's address. If it doesn't work, then the easiest option will be as Lucius has said to just set up a new Electrum wallet with the Ledger - will take less than a minute - and send your coins that way.

Then your best option is either going to be an airgapped computer or a paper wallet. Any hardware wallet is always going to have new updates coming out, not to mention a shorter lifespan than a hard drive.

My chrome app has been installed and used for a long time, but not in a long time, so it’s not like it’s something I recently downloaded..

I would stay away from that Ledger until you confirm you have correct SEED.  Would you feel comfortable with running a Tails live disk on an air gapped computer?  Tails has Electrum and you can enter the SEED safely if the computer is absolutely air gapped since you are using Live Disk.  You can easily compare the addresses generated for matches with your Ledger wallet.  If all the addresses match (Deterministic H remember) then you know for sure that you have the ability to restore safely.  Once that is achieved (pretty easy) then you can safely update your Ledger.  Software that old is not cool!  Opinion!

:o :o :o I'd say that not knowing whether you have the correct seed mnemonic backup is probably your biggest issue at this point... regardless of any device/wallet/firmware issues.

At the end of the day, that seed mnemonic backup is your safety net... without it, you're asking for trouble, even if you were running the latest firmware, up to date wallet software and using your device every day!

Personally, I would make it my #1 priority to either figure out which seed mnemonic is the correct one, or determining that I don't actually have the correct backup and then taking steps to mitigate that risk (ie. create temp wallet, send all funds, reset device, create new wallet on device, send all funds from temp wallet to new hardware wallet)

I would think that software for cold storing Bitcoin long term should work.. Forever.. (opinion)


Sending from the chrome app worked, updated and reset the thing, ledger live has no way of generating legacy addresses anymore (lame)..
It just made me nervous for a while..

Definitely have the new seed and know which one it is now..

Pretty annoying though tbh..

Btw I’m 99% sure I have that seed somewhere, I just have a few as I don’t throw them away..
I’m not a total retard.. I did make a few copies of it and hide them in places like where a house fire or whatever couldn’t destroy all of them at once (not all in X house/location)..
It’s just that it’s been over 2 years ya know.. Been a while..

Ledger Live, on the whole, is relatively lame... ::) ::)

However, you can still use Electrum to generate Legacy addresses if required.

As a bonus, if you do that and create some "transaction history" on your Legacy account (ie. you receive at least one transaction to one of your Legacy addresses), then Ledger Live will be able to find your Legacy Account when you use the "Add Account" feature in Ledger Live (and it will then let you send/receive from it)... It just won't let you create a Legacy account with "nil" history (and it may not find the history properly if you did "weird" things in the Chrome app like selecting addresses manually from the dropdown list instead of using the "receive" functionality as there is a possibility the addresses you used are outside the "gap limit") :-\