Bitcoin Forum

Ok I get the wallet / key thing now and backup up, renaming, encrypting, and creating new wallet.dat files to store away multiple wallets...
 
I toy with the android app but it seems I bit sketchy I don't trust it too much.

Can you install the entire bitcoin client / wallet on a usb stick? Is this explained somewhere?

I have tried to but it always put's the wallet in the same place on Win 7... ... yes.... I know, I know - run linux but this is not always practical.

How would you bring your bitcoins along with you and spend them using another computer? Is there ANY secure way to do this
 other than bringing an entire bootable os installed on a usb key and is that even secure?

Say I go over to a friends house or a meet and I want to use my bitcoins on their machine to show them.... how would I do this without an online wallet service or ridiculous and dangerous wallet file swapping...


?

Not only you can, but there is an easy HOWTO: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=36663.0

First of all, it is not secure to attach an USB stick to another PC where you don't know the security standards.

Anyways: Check the "datadir" command line setting (maybe with relative paths like . or ..).

As you need internet connection at your frined's place anyways, I'd recommend an online wallet with a bit of "cash" - you don't carry your whole savings account with you if you just want to buy an ice cream too, right? Alternatively you could set up a second bitcoin client on that USB stick and only transfer a bit of money there.

I don't own many BTC, but just as proof of concept when showing friends I usually have a wallet and client on a usb stick with me at all times.   I highly suggest everyone do little things like that for day to day promotion in your investments :)

Awesome guide btw hugolp, I swear I've seen all the USB tutorials out there, but I don't believe I've seen yours, well done.

Well.. people carry around their bank debt cards which allows them access....  or a certain amount of cash.  I want to do the quivilant with btc.

Yes I realize your security point and obviously I would be carrying around an amount on this stick that I am comfortable with not some
ginormous amount of coin.  I don't have a ginormous amount.

I'll check into the above guide I just wanted to understand if/how this could be done.

Yeah you can put the whole /Bitcoin/ folder on the USB stick (or in its root so like E:/bitcoin.exe) and then make a shortcut in the folder pointing to "bitcoin.exe -datadir ./" or however you put the flag, and it should look and write to the same folder your wallet and the blockchains as it downloads and such. So move a copy of your wallet there before you launch and it should be all in a single selfcontained directory with no files on the OS anywhere. So any computer you go to should be able to use the full client, and obviously if you also copied the linux/mac clients on there in the same folder with their own respective shortcuts (symbolic link on *nix) it'd work similarly. It'd have to be about ~1gb stick though I think cause it needs the blockchain (a few hundred megs?)