Newbie on Bitcoin has questions about Bitcoin wallet

[cryptostockbroker]

Hi!

I have just recently joined up to whole Bitcoin community and I got some questions it would be nice if someone could help me / clarify few things to me.

1. 0 active connections to Bitcoin Network in wallet Bitcoin Core version v0.9.1.0-g026a939-beta (32-bit)

A)The first time I had this problem was with v0.9.0 I somehow managed to reinstall Bitcoin Core wallet = I ended up losing little sum of bitcoins that I had and had to wait again for that long sync, so I guess I installed a new wallet on my computer, is that possible and does anyone know how I can retrieve my coins?

B)The second time I had this problem with current version this helped:
http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/12265/0-connections-now-but-i-had-been-using-bitcoin-qt-for-a-while-without-problems

Now I have the same problem, and the solution from above doesn't work, wallet won't sync as it has 0 connections, I am 5 days behind

2. How to use back-up files

So, when I go to File --> Backup Wallet --> I create a new .dat file, after I do it it gets a 'locker' and fades, I can see the file as I am doing backup and all backup files I created in the past, but I can't see those when I try to find them again browsing through my files on computer
That means I don't know how to start backed up file, because I don't know where it is (or better said I do know, but I can't see and run it)

3. I want to put my coins to a safe place, make a physical backup, like on usb, how do I do that? And how do I place those back into my wallet? I have been reading about this but it is all so complicated, I really need some help and advice on this one

4. Does anyone know, what exactly do you provide and to whom when mining coins?

Thank you in advance!

[DannyHamilton]

4. Does anyone know, what exactly do you provide and to whom when mining coins?

When solo-mining bitcoins, your software assembles a set of unconfirmed transactions into a list (including a new coinbase transaction that will pay the block reward).  It then computes a merkle root of the list of transactions and builds a block header that includes (among other things) the hash value of the most recent solved block in the block chain, a timestamp for the block, and the merkle root of the transaction list.

If you are mining in a mining pool, then the software run by the pool operator handles those steps.

Next, you calculate a SHA-256 hash of the block header.  If the value of the resulting hash is less than the target difficulty, then you have successfully solved the block and can broadcast it to all the connected peers.  If the value of the resulting hash is not less than the target difficulty, then you modify a value in the block header called a nonce and try calculating the SHA-256 hash again.

You continue to modify the nonce value and re-calculate the SHA-256 hash value until you either find a hash value that is less than the current target, or until you receive a valid block relayed to you from a connected peer.

If you receive a valid block from a connected peer, then the "hash value of the most recent solved block" must be updated in the block you are working on.  Also if any of the transactions in your list are in the received block, then you must generate a new list and calculate a new merkle root.

[shorena]

Hi!

I have just recently joined up to whole Bitcoin community and I got some questions it would be nice if someone could help me / clarify few things to me.

Ill try my best, but some of your questions are probably best answered by someone on site

1. 0 active connections to Bitcoin Network in wallet Bitcoin Core version v0.9.1.0-g026a939-beta (32-bit)

A)The first time I had this problem was with v0.9.0 I somehow managed to reinstall Bitcoin Core wallet = I ended up losing little sum of bitcoins that I had and had to wait again for that long sync, so I guess I installed a new wallet on my computer, is that possible and does anyone know how I can retrieve my coins?

B)The second time I had this problem with current version this helped:
http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/12265/0-connections-now-but-i-had-been-using-bitcoin-qt-for-a-while-without-problems

Now I have the same problem, and the solution from above doesn't work, wallet won't sync as it has 0 connections, I am 5 days behind

The problem described in the link is about someone mining bitcoin. If you have problems with your DNS, contact your ISP (or whoever runs your DNS if you changed that)

2. How to use back-up files

So, when I go to File --> Backup Wallet --> I create a new .dat file, after I do it it gets a 'locker' and fades, I can see the file as I am doing backup and all backup files I created in the past, but I can't see those when I try to find them again browsing through my files on computer
That means I don't know how to start backed up file, because I don't know where it is (or better said I do know, but I can't see and run it)

You can choose the place where you save that .dat file. Choose a place that you can find it.
Here is a list where your wallet usually is https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet#Making_a_new_wallet
You can just copy that file somewhere else as backup. It makes now difference if the programm makes a copy for you or if you do it yourself.

"run it"? The wallet can not be run itself, its just a file containing your valueable data, not the programm itself.

3. I want to put my coins to a safe place, make a physical backup, like on usb, how do I do that? And how do I place those back into my wallet? I have been reading about this but it is all so complicated, I really need some help and advice on this one

The "coins" are not stored in your wallet, but the private keys that allow you to spend them. So if you secure your wallet.dat you secure the coins. You dont have to place the wallet.dat back, unless the file is corrupted for some reason. You should make sure that you make backups on a regular basis, because bitcoin core generates new keys (and addresses for that matter) from time to time. As long as your wallet.dat has a reasonable strong password, all you need to do is copy that file somewhere safe (USB Sticky, etc.).

[cryptostockbroker]

Thank you DannyHamilton and shorena for your answers

Well, tbh, I still don't fully understand what I am providing with mining that I get those coins (I write coins because atm I have bitcoins and litecoins), am I on the right track when I would say that 'unconfirmed transactions' get confirmed by using software and resources that I provide through my computer?

As far as the first 3 questions, I also have a Litecoin wallet, that has no problems with connections to Litecoin network, only my Bitcoin wallet has this problem I and don't think it has anything to do with my DNS or my provider :/

Anyway:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet#Making_a_new_wallet
This helped! In some way, I managed to run 'old' wallet and I can see my bitcoins there but since I still have a problem with sync and I can't send them to my newly created address on new wallet

And from what I understand, all I need to do is make regular back ups and my wallet.dat file IS THE FILE I want to copy to a secure place

Much more clearer now thank you! All I need to solve now is how to get the sync process up and running again...

[shorena]

Thank you DannyHamilton and shorena for your answers

Well, tbh, I still don't fully understand what I am providing with mining that I get those coins (I write coins because atm I have bitcoins and litecoins), am I on the right track when I would say that 'unconfirmed transactions' get confirmed by using software and resources that I provide through my computer?

Well Danny gave  you an exact answer
The miners confirm the transactions and provide a certain security to the network. The more hashingpower the miners have the harder it is for someone to doublespend coins.

As far as the first 3 questions, I also have a Litecoin wallet, that has no problems with connections to Litecoin network, only my Bitcoin wallet has this problem I and don't think it has anything to do with my DNS or my provider :/

Anyway:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet#Making_a_new_wallet
This helped! In some way, I managed to run 'old' wallet and I can see my bitcoins there but since I still have a problem with sync and I can't send them to my newly created address on new wallet

And from what I understand, all I need to do is make regular back ups and my wallet.dat file IS THE FILE I want to copy to a secure place

Much more clearer now thank you! All I need to solve now is how to get the sync process up and running again...

That sync problem can have several causes. Its hard to say. Might be a firewall that is blocking outbound traffic.
Here is a list of nodes: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Fallback_Nodes
that should be online all the time. If you are not sure wether your ISP uses ipv4 or ipv6, try both.
Try adding some of them manually and see if you can get a connection.
You can also try to get a connection via tor.

You can also make a list of nodes in your bitcoin.conf and run the client with -conf=<path to your config> as was posted in another thread. Path is for windows, Linux/Mac would be different.

-snip-
I'll teach you!
1. Go to C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin
2. Open bitcoin.conf.
3. Add the following lines to it:

Code:

addnode=137.116.225.142
addnode=85.214.251.25
addnode=67.186.224.85
addnode=88.198.58.172
addnode=91.210.181.21
addnode=64.27.57.225
addnode=63.247.147.163
addnode=213.112.48.166
addnode=199.115.228.181
addnode=199.115.228.182
addnode=91.121.205.50
addnode=198.211.116.191
addnode=162.243.120.138
addnode=95.85.8.237

-snip-