According to bitnodes.io  I run the only BTC Full Node (Core v22; 24/7; on Win 11 GUI) in the Dominican Republic.  In addition I also run a DAO Full Node, bisq, which recognizes and utilizes the BTC blockchain. Maybe one day I will trade on bisq IF I can figure it out! Meanwhile, I am just enjoying the technology and supporting decentralization.

As you know, the worst thing that can happen is an unintended pc shutdown (e.g. power outage) that prevents a Core shutdown and leads to various kinds of corruption.  Having to uninstall and re-start IBD from the genesis block is a major hassle tantamount to having to do a clean OS install after an irrecoverable OS crash.

In spite of having a UPS and an AC/DC inverter for the house, I am now on IBD #3, with days to go. And the Dex DAO is suspended until I can reach current block height. 5 seconds faulty Win shutdown = Disaster.

The purpose of this post is to collate Core Recovery Options. Some of the information I have gleaned from posts in this sub-forum. But I want to start a thread that puts the general recommendations in one place as well as encouraging other members to correct me and to add more information.

The context here is for OS Windows, the GUI program:

(1) After re-booting and confirming failure of the program to start, the first step is fact finding. Even though you cannot start the program, you can still inspect debug for errors. Go to the Bitcoin folder. The filepath is: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin. Open the Bitcoin directory and look for debug. Click on that.

Remember that the debug file starts at the top in the past and proceeds down to the bottom in the present, so scroll down. Look for an error and/or a suggested solution, write them down, and continue. If not self-explanatory, you could copy/paste and google or c/p to this sub-forum.

(2) If that doesn’t work, do a reindex.  Go to the Core application program in Downloads: bitcoin-22.0-win64-setup. Right click properties. Next to the Bitcoin logo you will find a writable field. Type in this flag:

. . . setup –reindex

and click Apply. I have seen instances where the flag is designated with one hypen; others with a double hypen. I think that the double hyphen is correct.

(3) Another option, and it is one I’m most unsure about, is a backup of the entire core data directory which then enables a replacement of the corrupted directory with a known good one.

This is the filepath to the directory:

C:\Users\MyName\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin\blocks
The data directory is Bitcoin and it includes the subfolder blocks.

I have copy/pasted Bitcoin to an external drive. The question is:

Will copy/pasting the known good data directory to the corrupted one solve the corruption problem? Is it as simple as re-booting and starting fresh with the one exception that the new program will have to re-build to the current height?

Some thoughts:

a. Copy/paste or delete old and replace new?
b. Ditto EXCEPT do this only with the blocks subfolder?
c. Since the contents of the data directory are dynamic, the data increasing roughly every ten minutes, you would need to do a backup frequently. It could be that a copy/paste of new over old will replace extant files and add new.

Based on your responses, I’m most interested in finding out if a complete backup and restore is possible.

OP: SOLVED  An inbound connection has showed up, after a few hours, with a lot of data, so I must have inbound!

@nOnce

My response is embedded and I don't know if you'll see it:

YOUR CLARIFICATIONS are appreciated. While we are on the topic of Tor ports being routed automatically versus the clearnet instance of BTC Core, I need to ask you about a problem! Now that I am running bisq.network in DAO Full Node I am seeing > 10 outbound peers. BUT I receive an error messge that says that my environment is blocking Tor inbound. How do I enable Tor inbound? The error message mentioned VM as a possiblility but I'm not running a VM. I have checked bisq documentation and I cannot find details on this item.

This appears as a contradiction. If bisq.network runs Tor by default, why does its documentation specify ports for mainnet, etc. Is it just a FYI that Tor uses these ports and that they do not need to be set manually? Compare this with BTC Core and 8113. If I don't set that port trigger in my router I will not have a Full Node as my "in" will be zero. And since bisq.network uses the BTC blockchain for verification, I think that setting that port is mandatory.

As a side question, do I have to do any configuration for Tor or is the process completely automated? And thanks for your help.

---

Prune is disabled by default, so there's no need to add prune=0 manually.


OP: I messed up the text badly. Sorry. THANKS for pointing out that prune is disabled by default.

Great! This is what I need to know. I will read the link. Whether it's the BTC CORE or the bisq DEX, I want to support decentralization regardless of whether bisq fits my use case for trading or not.

Hello All,

I hope you all are safe and enjoying . . .

This is my first time configuring bisq.network to use as my DEX on Windows 11. I have backed up the directory, written my seed words, and have my passphrase.

Now I am looking at TWO NODES, that is, my BTC Full  Node, that  bisq.network recognizes and utilizes, as well as the option for Bisq DAO Full Node (network settings).

Question 1:

Bisq needs to ensure that in my BTC node, that:
bloom filters are enabled: peerbloomfilters=1 in bitcoin.conf AND that pruning is disabled: prune=0 in bitcoin.conf.

How do I check this? I cannot find bitcoin.conf and I cannot find a console command that could give me these confirmations.

Question 2:

I want to turn on Bisq Full Node in Settings. I need to enable RPC. bisq.network documentation gives me these parameters:


# The default rpcPort for regtest from Bitcoin Core 0.16 and higher is: 18443
# The default rpcPort for testnet is: 18332
# For mainnet: 8332
[regtest]
peerbloomfilters=1
rpcport=18443

Question 2:

Since I intend to use mainnet only, will it be sufficient to open 8332 mainnet port (in my router port forwarding config.) ONLY?  [I also see that the default rpc port for regtest for Bitcoin Core is the same as the rpcport, which is a little confusing].

What I’m not understanding is reciprocity, that is, what my running a bisq full node has to do with my use versus the uses of others. So that if I open the mainnet port only does that mean that I am preventing others from using regtest and testnet?

So again, open all ports or only what I need?

Side questions: Resources? Will I benefit the bisq network if I run a full node? FYI, I run BTC Core 24/7 to support the blockchain, not to use the wallet. If it helps, I'd like to do the same for bisq regardless of whether this DEX even works for me as an exchange.

Many thanks!

That's what I thought but it turned out to be wrong. The Security section offered two choices for 2FA: SMS and Googe Authenticator. Since I could not use SMS, I chose the second option. I successfully linked binance to GA. But when I proceeded to Idenitity Veriification, GA was NOT a choice and SMS was mandatory. Requiring TWO 2FA's is ridiculous. So, yes, they do have an alternative verification method apart from SMS but that verification method (GA) is not accepted for Identity Verification which is a separate process from Security vetting.

Thank you for the Kucoin lead. What is "KYC"? I never "offer" that I'm a U.S. citizen as gratuitous information. There are menus where it is mandatory that I make a selection and, when that  happens, I tell the truth. If I went into a situation with the MO in miind "Let's see how I can lie . .  . " maybe I'd have more success. I'm not innocent but experience teaches me that when you enter falsehoods into the picture that you may pay a price.

I have a problem. As an expat., I am a U.S. citizen with my financial services and my identity in the U.S. but living in the Dom. Rep. with a Dom. Rep. phone number (no U.S. phone number). If I was just on vacation here, no problem. But I'm living here for the rest of my life . . .

I have been trading successfully at gemini.com for some months. I passed the vetting, linked my bank account, and the algorithm accepted my Dom.
Rep. phone number for 2FA. Unwittingly, when I changed phones and my number, I no longer had access to my account. Via Support I submitted to a secure drop a
photo of my face, my passport, and a card with a code they gave me and my new phone number. They responded that I could only use a U.S. number even though
the Gemini website already accepted my Dom. Rep. number. Support refused to change my old number to my new number. I have been locked out of my account
for almost a month and may lose my ACH deposits. Fortunately, my keys are already offloaded to my cold wallet, so I will not lose my cryptocurrency. I'm still going
back and forth with Support . . .

This post is NOT about the above problem per se. My question is:

Do you know of any currency exchange where I can be accepted as a legitimate client and not have to "game the system"? This morning I signed up at
etoro.com and completed the vetting process. Further, the site accepted my Dom. Rep. phone number for 2FA AND I stated that I was a U.S. citizen.
But, while browsing the site, I found a statement to the effect of, Due to regulatory blah, blah, we are unable to serve American citizens who do not resied in the U.S.
Now, would they find out if I traded there? I closed the account. If I am in violation of something, and I game the system and then have a problem, then Support can say "because you are in violation . . . " This is not a way to live. I want to find a site where I can do business honestly and transparently.

gemini.com is a "no go."
coinbase.com is a "no go."
binance.com us a "no go" because I am a U.S. citizen and it does not offer services to U.S. citizens.
binance.us is a "no go" because it requires TWO 2FA's!--one with Google Authenticator and the other with SMS to a U.S. number only. I had already set up Google Authenticator succesfully but when I proceeded to Identity Verification, I failed the second 2FA because I didn't have a U.S. number. So I closed that account.
utoro.com is a "no go" for the reason stated and I closed that account.

I don't see anyway forward without finding ways to cheat the system.

Any recommendations for a site where I can be a legitmate client or, to put it more generally, is there anyway someone in my situation can buy cryptocurrency at all without being dishonest in one way or another??

Hello All,

I am locked out of my funded Gemini account due to 2FA issues AND it appears that tech support is unwilling to help further.
This post is NOT about that problem or I would provide the details. But I may need to post about that soon.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that every coiner uses some kind of online fiat/crypto exchange. That being the case
I thought that there would be a sub-forum here devoted to exchanges. It seemed a no-brainer. But I can't find any reference to
exchanges . . .

What is the best sub-forum to post about exchange issues?

Thanks.

I switch the Windows computer runniing Core between two stations, each with a different wired connection to the router. Does that mean that my IP address changes accordingly and does that make a difference with respect to router configuration and port forwarding??

When I configured my router the first time, I configured only port forwarding. All was well. After I lost incoming data via 8333  I configured diifferently. This time I configured virtual server first. It's identical to the port forwarding menu except it adds "private" IP address. To get that, I and inserted that AND I configured the menu on port forwarding.
a. I can't explain if this different configuration was the reason for my success. If it was, then why did I have success the first time without it?
b. Does it matter if I move my computer to different locations (connections)? If so, then every time I move my computer I must get a new IP address for that location and ediit the router configuration?
c. I went to dnsstuff.com and read reviews of various network mapping tools--way overkill for my sometimes single port 8333 forwarding issue. Nevertheless, any recommendation on a program, even if paid, that could help with port forwarding issues?

Oh, and thanks for your ideas.

For the first time I tried netstat with cmd prompt and tried different flags--I could see port 8333 and I could see packets of data in and out for IPv4. But suppose 8333 was still broken . . . I'm not sure how netstat could help me other than to indicate that port 8333 was absent. But there are other ways I can indicate that. I'm probably not seeing now netstat could help . . .

Until recently, I had robust data I/O on Full Node, Windows 11. Recently, "in" dropped to zero. Since I had been successful and since I
had configured port forwarding correctly both in my router and in Windows, I assumed that my configuration had become corrupted, so I
decided to re-check my configuration:
a. From the router I confirmed port forwarding range 8333 to 8333.
b. In Windows 11, I followed the steps in this tutorial https://linuxhint.com/port-forwarding-windows/ both for creating a new inbound rule
and designating 8333 and for insuring pass through in Windows Defender Firewall as well as introducing manual settings for my LAN configuration (the writer didn't explain why this would be better than "automatic" but I did it anyway).

I can still confirm by my Information window and by https://bitnodes.io/  that 8333 is closed and I'm not receiving data.

I can't figure out my next troubleshooting step because I can't find errors in my configuration. A "hatchet" approach of re-installng Windows and Core I want to avoid at all costs!

(1) When you say that that WAN IP is only for you, does that mean that each LAN IP address has a unique WAN IP address?
(2) Thanks for suggestions on two IP scanners. I have tried both Zenmap and Angry IP Scanner. In neither case have I obtained port output. Probably there is a configuration error on my part. On the other hand, better designed software has more intuitive configuration options, so I will compare the two you suggest with the two I have tried
and see if I can get a clear indication of port status. At the very least I should see 8333 tcp open bitcoin syn-ack. That will be proof positive that I'm using the software correctly.
(3) If correct open and closed port status is bulletproofing, you suggest that you need to keep up with AV scanners for further protection when one stores coin. I want to confirm that that doesn't fit my use case because I do not use the Full Node wallet, rather, I created it but it has 0.0 coin; I use a cold wallet with "seed" backup. However, I will send a few sats to Full Node wallet for practive to learn how to use it. Maybe in time I will divide assets between wallets.

I appreciate your responses!

No pruning in your case? FYI, my directory properties indicate 0.657 TB "size on disk." There is another value, 0.676 TB indicated by properties which is something other than "size on disk." I don't know if that's the objective blockchain independent of a particular user's use case.  I think that there must be differences in configuration that explain individual differences in the size of a blockchain that one has onsite in a Full Node versus the objective size.

Other thoughts:

I think that the objective size of the blockchain must have a constant value that only changes when another block is concatenated. And I wonder if each block is quantitatively identical or different. You could evaluate the size of the objective blockchain and divide by blockheight and at least get an average per block.

---

Please explain chainstate. Console command for that?

[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]

@DaveF

OP Followup:

Regarding port vulnerabilities (still finding out about setup of RPC port/password):

1. I did read about Dell Assist problems, that Dell patched, and that I have the patch and update. But I used third-party RevoUninstaller and completely removed this
program.
2. Confusion: You said that I made my IP address public by posting. I'm not doubting that what I did exposed my PC but the address I posted was the WAN IP of my ISP, not
my LAN IP address that I would find via
     
And yet your scan did find that I was running a Dell PC! How is it, given that a WAN is linked to thousands of LANs, that given only my WAN address you could still identify my LAN's PC?

3. Recap: From router, I deleted the wide port ranges and substituted a single port expressed as range 8333 to 8333.

Now I want to go back and scan my IP address to confirm that 17500 does NOT show; that 5700 tcp open supportassist syn-ack does NOT show; that 8333 tcp open bitcoin
syn-ack DOES show.

I need to be able to do my own scan just as you did. I tried Angry IP Scanner and added the flag -Pn and tried various types of scans but the ports tab remained blank after my
scan. What do I have to do to get the data you got, so I can confirm myself (and others here can learn) how to scan TCP port status.