Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Bitcoin Technical Support => Topic started by: Otto1479 on August 16, 2017, 09:09:06 PM



Title: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: Otto1479 on August 16, 2017, 09:09:06 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: maeusi on August 16, 2017, 09:21:57 PM
I think, you can't restore your wallet without paraphrase. So it should make sense to try to remember the passphrase. Maybe this wordlist could help you to remember the words order.
https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: cr1776 on August 16, 2017, 09:55:33 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: Otto1479 on August 16, 2017, 09:57:01 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.

Even though it shows a zero balance?


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: cr1776 on August 16, 2017, 10:06:05 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.

Even though it shows a zero balance?

Since Bitcoin Core can't access the wallet (and you reinstalled it) it does know what keys are in there so it can't compute the balance so it shows zero. (If you know any of the addresses you can check the balance using a different web site.). If you can access the wallet it can then rescan and recalculate the balance. 





Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: Otto1479 on August 16, 2017, 10:09:46 PM
I think, you can't restore your wallet without paraphrase. So it should make sense to try to remember the passphrase. Maybe this wordlist could help you to remember the words order.
https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt


Ok, thank you. I copy and pasted when I entered the phrase. I already recognize one word. Please, everyone learn from my mistakes.


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: Otto1479 on August 16, 2017, 10:17:06 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.

Even though it shows a zero balance?

Since Bitcoin Core can't access the wallet (and you reinstalled it) it does know what keys are in there so it can't compute the balance so it shows zero. (If you know any of the addresses you can check the balance using a different web site.). If you can access the wallet it can then rescan and recalculate the balance. 





Ah, cool! I do have addresses, and i've seen them on the blockchain. I guess now I need a script to swap the words around? I was learning btcrecover, but i didn't think it would've been worth the effort since it showed zero balance.


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: unholycactus on August 16, 2017, 11:53:26 PM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.

Even though it shows a zero balance?

Since Bitcoin Core can't access the wallet (and you reinstalled it) it does know what keys are in there so it can't compute the balance so it shows zero. (If you know any of the addresses you can check the balance using a different web site.). If you can access the wallet it can then rescan and recalculate the balance. 





Ah, cool! I do have addresses, and i've seen them on the blockchain. I guess now I need a script to swap the words around? I was learning btcrecover, but i didn't think it would've been worth the effort since it showed zero balance.

It depends how complicated your passphrase is and how much you remember of it.

Just to make sure, it isn't the fact that you overwrote your wallet. You lost your coins because you lost your passphrase. You can't decrypt a wallet by reinstalling Bitcoin Core, it would be absurd.


Title: Re: Reinstalled bitcoin core, wallet still encrypted, now with zero balance?
Post by: Otto1479 on August 17, 2017, 12:25:27 AM
Hello!

When I first started playing with bitcoin, I set up a bitcoin core wallet with a ten word passphrase. I sent funds to the wallet, and then I couldn't get it out. Passphrase lost. I reinstalled bitcoin core to start over again. (dumb move on my part) Now there is a zero balance, but the new wallet is still encrypted. I'm guessing with the original wallet's passphrase. (I'm on a mac) That bitcoin is gone for good, right? There's no reason to try and unlock the passphrase it if it has a zero balance?

If you can figure out the pass phrase for the wallet, you will be able to recover the coins.  So you should try to remember everything you can about it.

Even though it shows a zero balance?

Since Bitcoin Core can't access the wallet (and you reinstalled it) it does know what keys are in there so it can't compute the balance so it shows zero. (If you know any of the addresses you can check the balance using a different web site.). If you can access the wallet it can then rescan and recalculate the balance. 





Ah, cool! I do have addresses, and i've seen them on the blockchain. I guess now I need a script to swap the words around? I was learning btcrecover, but i didn't think it would've been worth the effort since it showed zero balance.

It depends how complicated your passphrase is and how much you remember of it.

Just to make sure, it isn't the fact that you overwrote your wallet. You lost your coins because you lost your passphrase. You can't decrypt a wallet by reinstalling Bitcoin Core, it would be absurd.

i agree. i reinstalled so i could have a usable working wallet. since the wallet.dat isn't overwritten when reinstalling, it's become an unusable (locked) application that remains on my computer. i've moved on to electrum.