I understand but there is always a first time. I promise you it won't bite


File open opens an existing wallet. Once you've created a new wallet you can indeed use file open to open it. You could also create a shortcut (right click shortcut > properties > target) like this to directly access a specific wallet:

electrum -w c:\path\to\wallet


Multiple wallets are fun and useful if you are a power user. You can isolate coins from different sources under different wallets. You can setup offline wallets and online watch only wallets. Offline wallets are considered safer than online wallets.

Multiple versions of electrum on the same system are not useful.

I don't know whether you guys know this or not but the US government has said that any male of fighting age, i.e. mid to late teens or older, in the FATA area of Pakistan is considered an enemy combatant and is a legitimate target. So it doesn't matter if the person is innocent or guilty as long as he falls under that description and is considered suspicious for whatever reason he can be hit by a drone.

Just about any activity can be considered suspicious. For example large gatherings like in this news or even a lone individual kneeling down by the roadside can be considered suspicious because "Gosh! He might be planting an IED!"

Problem is not the technology but the mindset. Americans are prejudiced and hateful and act on those emotions freely. Until they change their mindset nothing will change.

Did you save the signed transaction or not? Once you sign it you have to save the signed transaction to removable media for broadcasting on an online system.

You can't spend newly mined coins until you get at least 120 confirmations. Doesn't matter which client you use you will see this restriction.

It uses separate addresses to send change to:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Change

What operating system are you using? The -w flag is used on the command line. So for windows you have to bring up the command prompt and for Mac OSx and linux startup a terminal/console program. The do the following:

cd [some directory where the wallet file will be stored]

For example /home/user/.electrum

cd /home/user/.electrum

The run electrum with the -w flag:

electrum -w my_new_wallet

Debit and Credit cards are not accepted for bitcoins anywhere because they are a reversible payment method.

Why not withdraw money and deposit cash in the seller's account? My understanding is that bank transfers in the US can be reversed so no one is going to risk it.

Bitcoin itself is experimental and risky. So no there is no uber stable bitcoin wallet software.

But the problems you are facing are definitely extraordinary. I suspect there is a problem with your PC's hardware. Bitcoin-QT puts a lot of stress on your PC when it is downloading the blockchain. The hard disk, CPU and maybe RAM is stressed the most. If your hardware is not up to scratch it can fail under the stress. I suggest you do a scan for bad sectors on your hard drive. Repeated corruption of the database suggests a failing hard drive.

Who is this person and why does he matter?

Can someone explain in English for those of us who don't understand Mandarin?

Too late. I am sure he's written over the data many times in the 3 years since '10.

It does send change back to the source address.

Actually what appears to have happened is that the user got caught by a UI bug. Assuming he used this page - http://brainwallet.org/#tx - if you change the figure next to the destination address the json transaction updates and the appropriate change is sent back to the source address. But if you change the source amount the transaction does not update meaning you end up paying more as fees.

blockchain.info is even worse than a desktop client! You computer has been compromized. Moving to blockchain.info won't make things any better.

What you should do is backup essential documents, delete everything on your computer, reinstall the operating system, install anti-malware software like anti-virus apps and scan and restore the backups. Then change your passwords everywhere including your email accounts. As far as bitcoins go you should move all the coins to a new wallet. Make sure you set a password on your new wallet.

Backup your electrum data directory on PC1. You can find it by doing the following:

Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this:

explorer %APPDATA%\Electrum

Usually this means:

C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\Electrum

Backup that entire folder and copy it to the same relative location on PC2. See if electrum starts up on PC2 and you can see your balance.

What operating system are you using?

Is it clothing?

Bitcoins are not stored in your wallet. Bitcoin transactions are stored in the globally distributed ledger called the blockchain (not to be confused with the website blockchain.info). When someone sends you bitcoins he signs off ownership of the coins to your address. That transaction is recorded in the blockchain. For you to be able to then spend those coins you need the private key behind your address and that is what is stored in your wallet. A wallet is basically a collection of private keys and a private key is basically a really, really large number.

To receive coins you don't have to be connected to the internet. To spend coins you do.

An offline wallet is wallet that is installed on a computer that is kept offline. It is considered safer than a wallet on an online computer.

Unless you have a large amount of coins I suggest starting by using a desktop client like electrum. Definitely move away from a blockchain.info mywallet. Don't worry about offline wallets for now. You can look into them later when you understand bitcoin better.

As far as backups go with electrum it is very easy to do. You just write down your 12 word "seed" on a piece of paper. The seed is like a master key and all your addresses, past and future, are derived from that. And yes your balance will update if you restore from seed in future.

Malware could be a thread like btcven said. You are supposed to set a password on your wallet so that if malware gets a copy of the wallet file they won't be able to decrypt it. So you have to ensure that a) you have a good password b) you keep your system secure because even with a password if you somehow get infected with a keylogger then you could be in trouble.

Of course this is all less likely to happen with an offline wallet. And one of the features of electrum is that you can install a watch only wallet on your online system so you can see transactions, balances and give out addresses without risking your coins.

OK 17KHZNzc5tEMPHZWDbBshjJAJwjLSm41Mb confirmed