Semi Heart-Attack Here - Where have my bitcoins gone?

[lsr-can]

Hey guys,

I'm hoping that I'm just tired, and doing something silly. Because if not, I've lost ~200 bitcoins.

Nutshell:

- A few months back, I created a clean OS install, then loaded the Bitcoin software, created a wallet.dat backup, and then placed it inside a Truecrypt container.
- Then I wiped the system, and kept the Truecrypt container safe.
- Then, I transferred about 200 bitcoins into the address.

Now, I want to transfer them out, so I:

- Created a new clean OS install.
- Loaded up my truecrypty container.
- Copied the wallet.dat file into my bitcoin wallet.dat location.

The problem is:

- The bitcoin balance shows 0
- When I click the "Receive coins" tab, I can see the receiving address that was originally created (so I know the restored wallet.dat is working)
- I can even copy that receiving address into blockchain.info, and it verified that 200 bitcoin balance
- But the software's balance still shows 0

Why would the receiving address be there, with blockchain.info confirming that the receiving address has the bitcoins, but they're not showing up in software?

Is it because I refreshed the blockchain BEFORE copying in the backup wallet.dat file?

[flatfly]

From your description, it seems to me that you will be able to recover them.

Try this:

Bitcoin-qt.exe -rescan

[Meizirkki]

If you just started the bitcoin client on a clean OS it will have to download the entire blockchain. Just wait and youll se your coins. It can take a long time, tho.

[wong RAP]

You can always download the blockchain also, its a lot quicker.

[paraipan]

If you just started the bitcoin client on a clean OS it will have to download the entire blockchain. Just wait and youll se your coins. It can take a long time, tho.

+1 just wait until you have the blockchain synched

[Silverbug]

It can take a really longggg time to get the blockchain synched. But once done you'll have your bits! Or at least you should

[Undefined31415]

Connect through a wired connection (preferably gigabit ethernet). If you can, go directly to your modem. It may speed up the blockchain sync.

[buddrulez]

Took me 12 hours to get synced from 0!

[lsr-can]

One thing to clarify:

- I HAD downloaded the whole blockchain. However, I had done that BEFORE copying in the backup wallet.dat.

So, order of operations:
1) New OS install
2) Bitcoin install
3) Blockchain sync
4) wallet.dat copy

What I've now done, is delete the blockchain, copy over the wallet.dat, and am in the process of having bitcoin download the blockchain again, with the wallet.dat already loaded into it.

Am I correct in understanding that this may resolve the problem? (but that perhaps I could have also solved it by triggering a rescan?)

[paraipan]

One thing to clarify:

- I HAD downloaded the whole blockchain. However, I had done that BEFORE copying in the backup wallet.dat.

So, order of operations:
1) New OS install
2) Bitcoin install
3) Blockchain sync
4) wallet.dat copy

What I've now done, is delete the blockchain, copy over the wallet.dat, and am in the process of having bitcoin download the blockchain again, with the wallet.dat already loaded into it.

Am I correct in understanding that this may resolve the problem? (but that perhaps I could have also solved it by triggering a rescan?)

That is correct sir, now you just have to wait...

[foo]

What I've now done, is delete the blockchain, copy over the wallet.dat, and am in the process of having bitcoin download the blockchain again, with the wallet.dat already loaded into it.

That was completely unnecessary, you just needed to rescan...

[UberNeck]

If you just started the bitcoin client on a clean OS it will have to download the entire blockchain. Just wait and youll se your coins. It can take a long time, tho.

This is my guess, too.

[MDHoldings]

You got the destination or sending address? post it.

[memvola]

What I've now done, is delete the blockchain, copy over the wallet.dat, and am in the process of having bitcoin download the blockchain again, with the wallet.dat already loaded into it.

That was completely unnecessary, you just needed to rescan...

+1

If you see the receiving address in the wallet and still remember your wallet passphrase, your coins are safe. No heart attack necessary.

Worst case (you can't download the blockchain, etc.), you can learn the private key to that address using "dumpprivkey" command and then create a transaction from it to a different address using a different tool (e.g. electrum, blockchain.info).

[flower1024]

you can try blockchain.info and see if you address has still the coins
if so -rescan and waiting should do the trick

[lsr-can]

Hey all,

Thanks for your help here. As suspected, when the blockchain refreshed from scratch, the funds appeared in the interface.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious that after a new wallet.dat file was imposed, the software would need to rescan through the already-downloaded blockchain history in order to identify that it held a qty of bitcoins.

Rescan would have been faster, but redownloading worked too.

Thanks to all those who contributed to my sanity!