Formated computer, lost Wallet.dat

[Omega0255]

Luckily I cleared it out right before I initiated the format. However without thinking, I just paid myself via BTC Guild to an old address associated with the old wallet.dat. That payment is lost forever correct?

[bitrain]

Amen

[Alex Beckenham]

Luckily I cleared it out right before I initiated the format. However without thinking, I just paid myself via BTC Guild to an old address associated with the old wallet.dat. That payment is lost forever correct?

You could try recovery tools if it was a large enough amount to worry about. Mind me asking how much it was?

Oh, if you're going to attempt any kind of recovery, the first step would be to immediately stop using that drive in case you make it harder for yourself.

[MihecPihec]

If your gonna attempt to recover wallet file try using Recuva. I recovered plenty of files with it from dying drives so it should work amusing you didn't already overwritten it.

[MtRev]

When I used the recovery tool, it was a mission to find the file i needed. All files are renamed to random numbers and letters

eg.
A9282KD8I3JS72KD83KD89.001


Btw, you shouldn't have your wallet.dat on your local hardrive, instead you should be using a thumb drive.

[JBDive]

STOP USING THAT PC RIGHT NOW!

You need to get a boot CD, use another PC to browse these forums for some threads on recovering the file at the hex level and/or try one of the several tools on say a Hiren's Boot CD. Each time you turn on that PC and it boots from the HD you are making it harder to recover that data.

[luxgladius]

When I used the recovery tool, it was a mission to find the file i needed. All files are renamed to random numbers and letters

eg.
A9282KD8I3JS72KD83KD89.001


Btw, you shouldn't have your wallet.dat on your local hardrive, instead you should be using a thumb drive.

I've had three thumbdrives just stop working over the years. The correct answer is probably to have it on both.

[MihecPihec]

Another good backup would be to encrypt it,zip/rar it then either mail it to yourself on gmail with non-suspicious name or some cloud storage service.

[Gabi]

Another good backup would be to encrypt it,zip/rar it then either mail it to yourself on gmail with non-suspicious name or some cloud storage service.

^this

i backuped my wallet in this way too

If you use MSN, you can put it on Skydrive for example. Also send it to your other email address. There services are very reliable, much more than your computer!

[JBDive]

When I used the recovery tool, it was a mission to find the file i needed. All files are renamed to random numbers and letters

eg.
A9282KD8I3JS72KD83KD89.001


Btw, you shouldn't have your wallet.dat on your local hardrive, instead you should be using a thumb drive.

I've had three thumbdrives just stop working over the years. The correct answer is probably to have it on both.

Data doesn't exist if it doesn't exist in 3 places. Live, backup and offsite.

[bitplane]

Data doesn't exist if it doesn't exist in 3 places. Live, backup and offsite.

This is good advice to live by!

[MtRev]

Safe deposit box
;]

[Omega0255]

Luckily I cleared it out right before I initiated the format. However without thinking, I just paid myself via BTC Guild to an old address associated with the old wallet.dat. That payment is lost forever correct?

You could try recovery tools if it was a large enough amount to worry about. Mind me asking how much it was?

Oh, if you're going to attempt any kind of recovery, the first step would be to immediately stop using that drive in case you make it harder for yourself.

It was just one coin.

EDIT:
Recovery is out of the option. I did a 5 pass secure erase of the SSD drive before installing 10.7 Lion on the drive XD.
RIP oh poor coin.

[Omega0255]

Wait on second thought. I have a complete Time Machine backup of my computer. Anyone with a Mac and TM know if I'm able to launch the bitcoin client from my TM backup and wallet.dat to receive the payment or would I have to restore that portion of the data over my current wallet.

[Stephen Gornick]

Wait on second thought. I have a complete Time Machine backup of my computer.

\O/

Anyone with a Mac and TM know if I'm able to launch the bitcoin client from my TM backup and wallet.dat to receive the payment or would I have to restore that portion of the data over my current wallet.

The wallet.dat does not "receive" bitcoins, it merely contains the private keys necessary to spend any coins received for the addresses held in the wallet.

So no, you don't need to run the client at the old location.   Just grab the wallet.dat from the TM backup.

Now if you haven't used your new wallet yet, you can simply overwrite it with the one from the TM backup and you are good to go:
 - http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet#Restore

If on the other hand you need to keep the new wallet, then your best way to proceed is to:
 - make a backup of the new wallet
 - restore the old wallet
 - send the funds to an eWallet
 - restore the new wallet
 - send the funds from the eWallet to an address form your new wallet.

[bitrain]

I suppose that developers may provide a "cloud backup" for those who a risky enough to have their wallet copy reserved. This option shouldn't be on by default.

[BillX]

Luckily I cleared it out right before I initiated the format. However without thinking, I just paid myself via BTC Guild to an old address associated with the old wallet.dat. That payment is lost forever correct?

You could try recovery tools if it was a large enough amount to worry about. Mind me asking how much it was?

Oh, if you're going to attempt any kind of recovery, the first step would be to immediately stop using that drive in case you make it harder for yourself.

It was just one coin.

EDIT:
Recovery is out of the option. I did a 5 pass secure erase of the SSD drive before installing 10.7 Lion on the drive XD.
RIP oh poor coin.

Oh poor you. That bitcoin has been round filed in the bitbucket.