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Title: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: velcrovan on February 16, 2012, 05:20:01 PM Was looking into creating a paper wallet, but when I read this on the wiki it concerned me:
Quote The Bitcoin software does not yet have a built-in way to load private keys, but you can use the "Add Funds" - "Private key" screen at MtGox to recover digital coins from a private key. (source (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet#Paper_Wallets)) So, if I transfer bitcoins to a "paper wallet" (basically a bitcoin address which has no actual wallet.dat file and the private key exists only on paper, right?) then I need MtGox to get those coins back out again some day?? What if MtGox goes down? Title: Re: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: mcorlett on February 16, 2012, 05:22:00 PM There is an "importprivkey" command included in the official Bitcoin client if you pass it over JSON-RPC.
Title: Re: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: Vandroiy on February 16, 2012, 05:24:07 PM Worst case someone has to re-implement it. It's some series of SHA iterations, not really catastrophic to write. A few people probably already have scripts for it, Casascius might know something.
Edit: or what mcorlett said. Don't know whether this supports the mini-key format though. Title: Re: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: stevegee58 on February 16, 2012, 05:26:54 PM The paper wallet is just a paper backup of your wallet.dat file.
If you have a HD crash and lose your bitcoin client install you can just re-install bitcoin and import the data from the backup. They say the paper wallet is the safest but I guess it's just preference. I store multiple encrypted copies of the wallet.dat file around the internet and on a USB drive. Title: Re: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: realnowhereman on February 16, 2012, 05:48:43 PM Blockchain.info/wallet has excellent import and export facilities.
Title: Re: Can't withdraw from paper wallets w/o MtGox?? Post by: velcrovan on February 16, 2012, 06:41:19 PM The paper wallet is just a paper backup of your wallet.dat file. If you have a HD crash and lose your bitcoin client install you can just re-install bitcoin and import the data from the backup. They say the paper wallet is the safest but I guess it's just preference. I store multiple encrypted copies of the wallet.dat file around the internet and on a USB drive. I think I'm looking at a paper wallet as a hedge against hacking just as much as protection from HD crashes. I.e., a separate savings wallet. |