If I use my pre 0.13.0 wallet.dat on 0.13.0, does it mean my wallet is not HD?

[thejaytiesto]

I still haven't updated to 0.13.0 because I still don't understand how does this work. As far as I know, now with the 0.13.0 you no longer need to make a backup every 100 addresses since it can generate infinite addresses without needing to backup.

Anyway my question is... if I use my wallet.dat from the 0.12.1 version, what does this mean? I am using HD mode or im still in old format? Im just paranoid and don't want to screw things up.

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[achow101]

Anyway my question is... if I use my wallet.dat from the 0.12.1 version, what does this mean? I am using HD mode or im still in old format? Im just paranoid and don't want to screw things up.

You will still be using the old format. You will not be using an HD wallet. It will also tell you whether your wallet is HD. There is a new icon in the lower right hand corner of the window that says "HD". If it is grayed out with a slash through it, then you are not using an HD wallet. If it is not like that, then you are using an HD wallet. Mousing over that icon will also tell you whether HD is enabled or disabled for your wallet.

[thejaytiesto]

Anyway my question is... if I use my wallet.dat from the 0.12.1 version, what does this mean? I am using HD mode or im still in old format? Im just paranoid and don't want to screw things up.

You will still be using the old format. You will not be using an HD wallet. It will also tell you whether your wallet is HD. There is a new icon in the lower right hand corner of the window that says "HD". If it is grayed out with a slash through it, then you are not using an HD wallet. If it is not like that, then you are using an HD wallet. Mousing over that icon will also tell you whether HD is enabled or disabled for your wallet.

Ah that is a cool detail. Then what I do need is I guess I need to send all my coins to the newly generated 0.13.0 wallet? How do I do this if I have to upgrade to 0.13.0 to generate the wallet first?

I don't trust other wallets other than Bitcoin Core so im not sending my coins to blockchain.info or even electrum (I store my main stack in my Core wallet.dat)

What options do I have? I have considered a paper wallet but sending all of my coins ever to the same address seems like very anti privacy practice.

[achow101]

Ah that is a cool detail. Then what I do need is I guess I need to send all my coins to the newly generated 0.13.0 wallet? How do I do this if I have to upgrade to 0.13.0 to generate the wallet first?

I don't trust other wallets other than Bitcoin Core so im not sending my coins to blockchain.info or even electrum (I store my main stack in my Core wallet.dat)

What options do I have? I have considered a paper wallet but sending all of my coins ever to the same address seems like very anti privacy practice.

So first you have to backup your original wallet. Then, move it out of the data directory and update Bitcoin Core. When you start Bitcoin Core 0.13.0, it will generate a new HD wallet for you. Grab a few addresses from that wallet and write them down somewhere. Then stop Bitcoin Core and backup the new wallet.dat file. Replace the wallet.dat file in your data directory with your old wallet. Restart Bitcoin Core, it will load the old wallet and you will see that it is non-HD. Send Bitcoin from your old wallet to the addresses that you copied down. The Bitcoin will go to the new HD wallet. Then stop Bitcoin Core again, replace the wallet.dat file in the data directory with a backup of the new one, restart Bitcoin Core, and you will be good to go.

[thejaytiesto]

Ah that is a cool detail. Then what I do need is I guess I need to send all my coins to the newly generated 0.13.0 wallet? How do I do this if I have to upgrade to 0.13.0 to generate the wallet first?

I don't trust other wallets other than Bitcoin Core so im not sending my coins to blockchain.info or even electrum (I store my main stack in my Core wallet.dat)

What options do I have? I have considered a paper wallet but sending all of my coins ever to the same address seems like very anti privacy practice.

So first you have to backup your original wallet. Then, move it out of the data directory and update Bitcoin Core. When you start Bitcoin Core 0.13.0, it will generate a new HD wallet for you. Grab a few addresses from that wallet and write them down somewhere. Then stop Bitcoin Core and backup the new wallet.dat file. Replace the wallet.dat file in your data directory with your old wallet. Restart Bitcoin Core, it will load the old wallet and you will see that it is non-HD. Send Bitcoin from your old wallet to the addresses that you copied down. The Bitcoin will go to the new HD wallet. Then stop Bitcoin Core again, replace the wallet.dat file in the data directory with a backup of the new one, restart Bitcoin Core, and you will be good to go.

Ah I see. How many different addresses should I use for better privacy? This is what annoys me. I will spend a ton of time trying to make everything right through coin control so stuff does not get mixed in the wrong way. I wish bitcoin was really anonymous and you wouldn't have to worry about coin control etc.

[achow101]

Ah that is a cool detail. Then what I do need is I guess I need to send all my coins to the newly generated 0.13.0 wallet? How do I do this if I have to upgrade to 0.13.0 to generate the wallet first?

I don't trust other wallets other than Bitcoin Core so im not sending my coins to blockchain.info or even electrum (I store my main stack in my Core wallet.dat)

What options do I have? I have considered a paper wallet but sending all of my coins ever to the same address seems like very anti privacy practice.

So first you have to backup your original wallet. Then, move it out of the data directory and update Bitcoin Core. When you start Bitcoin Core 0.13.0, it will generate a new HD wallet for you. Grab a few addresses from that wallet and write them down somewhere. Then stop Bitcoin Core and backup the new wallet.dat file. Replace the wallet.dat file in your data directory with your old wallet. Restart Bitcoin Core, it will load the old wallet and you will see that it is non-HD. Send Bitcoin from your old wallet to the addresses that you copied down. The Bitcoin will go to the new HD wallet. Then stop Bitcoin Core again, replace the wallet.dat file in the data directory with a backup of the new one, restart Bitcoin Core, and you will be good to go.

Ah I see. How many different addresses should I use for better privacy? This is what annoys me. I will spend a ton of time trying to make everything right through coin control so stuff does not get mixed in the wrong way. I wish bitcoin was really anonymous and you wouldn't have to worry about coin control etc.

It depends on how much privacy you want. I suggest that, before you start, go through all of the inputs you have in coin control and figure out which ones you want grouped together so you can figure out how many addresses to use.

[xyzzy099]

[There is a new icon in the lower right hand corner of the window that says "HD". If it is grayed out with a slash through it, then you are not using an HD wallet. If it is not like that, then you are using an HD wallet. Mousing over that icon will also tell you whether HD is enabled or disabled for your wallet.

I have a 0.13.0 installation using a legacy (non-HD) wallet, but I don't see the icon you describe.  Are you running a client built from source != to the official release?

[achow101]

[There is a new icon in the lower right hand corner of the window that says "HD". If it is grayed out with a slash through it, then you are not using an HD wallet. If it is not like that, then you are using an HD wallet. Mousing over that icon will also tell you whether HD is enabled or disabled for your wallet.

I have a 0.13.0 installation using a legacy (non-HD) wallet, but I don't see the icon you describe.  Are you running a client built from source != to the official release?

Hmm. I though that icon had made it into the release, but I guess not. I am running a build of the latest master branch.

So alternatively, to check if you have an HD wallet, if you go to the Debug Console and type getwalletinfo, the output should have a field labeled "walletversion" which should be 130000. If it isn't (60000 for old wallets) then it isn't an HD wallet.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

So first you have to backup your original wallet. Then, move it out of the data directory and update Bitcoin Core. When you start Bitcoin Core 0.13.0, it will generate a new HD wallet for you. Grab a few addresses from that wallet and write them down somewhere. Then stop Bitcoin Core and backup the new wallet.dat file. Replace the wallet.dat file in your data directory with your old wallet. Restart Bitcoin Core, it will load the old wallet and you will see that it is non-HD. Send Bitcoin from your old wallet to the addresses that you copied down. The Bitcoin will go to the new HD wallet. Then stop Bitcoin Core again, replace the wallet.dat file in the data directory with a backup of the new one, restart Bitcoin Core, and you will be good to go.

Ok this is confusing, all I've ever done when updating/upgrading bitcoin core is download it off bitcoin.org
My coins & old addresses are always there when I open bitcoin core after updating/upgrading it.

Are you saying that with the 0.13.0 update that isn't the case.

Obviously I have a back up of my wallet but speak to me like I'm 10 years old.

[achow101]

Ok this is confusing, all I've ever done when updating/upgrading bitcoin core is download it off bitcoin.org
My coins & old addresses are always there when I open bitcoin core after updating/upgrading it.

Are you saying that with the 0.13.0 update that isn't the case.

No. All you need to do to upgrade is to download it off of bitcoin.org and install. However, if you want to take advantage of the new HD wallets, you will need to go through this process to migrate your Bitcoin.

Obviously I have a back up of my wallet but speak to me like I'm 10 years old.

Back up your wallet. Make a new wallet with 0.13.0. Get addresses from that wallet. Back it up too. Restore your first backup. Send your Bitcoin from your restored wallet to the addresses that you recorded from the new wallet. Restore your new wallet backup. Your Bitcoin should have been migrated. Keep both backups just in case something bad happens.

[unindentified]

some use old wallet version (not sure, I think pre 0.0.9) for scripts like pywallet.py to import mass keys directly into wallet without harassing with api calls/connection/protection issues.

[fronti]

Keep both backups just in case something bad happens.

not only something bad.
Don't throw away a private key you ever use!
it takes not much space or effort to store this even it is one copy somewhere.
But it may happen that there will be a transaction to this address (key) in the future, even it is spam but why to throw it away.

(just my 2 cents..)

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Ok this is confusing, all I've ever done when updating/upgrading bitcoin core is download it off bitcoin.org
My coins & old addresses are always there when I open bitcoin core after updating/upgrading it.

Are you saying that with the 0.13.0 update that isn't the case.

No. All you need to do to upgrade is to download it off of bitcoin.org and install. However, if you want to take advantage of the new HD wallets, you will need to go through this process to migrate your Bitcoin.

Obviously I have a back up of my wallet but speak to me like I'm 10 years old.

Back up your wallet. Make a new wallet with 0.13.0. Get addresses from that wallet. Back it up too. Restore your first backup. Send your Bitcoin from your restored wallet to the addresses that you recorded from the new wallet. Restore your new wallet backup. Your Bitcoin should have been migrated. Keep both backups just in case something bad happens.

Thanks buddy, appreciate that.

[calkob]

i am going to have to look into this abit more i hadnt really thought that HD wallets would require me to do anything. 

[Jet Cash]

Is it likely that this process will be simplified in 0.13.1?

[achow101]

Is it likely that this process will be simplified in 0.13.1?

Not in 0.13.1. There's a good chance that it will be simplified in 0.14.0.

[thejaytiesto]

Is it likely that this process will be simplified in 0.13.1?

Not in 0.13.1. There's a good chance that it will be simplified in 0.14.0.

What do you mean with simplified? Old wallets will be compatible and automatically be HD wallet as you open it with 0.14 or something else?

Honestly I keep delaying updating to 0.13 because im too lazy to send all the bitcoins in packages through coincontrol etc, seems like a hellish task to do.

[achow101]

What do you mean with simplified? Old wallets will be compatible and automatically be HD wallet as you open it with 0.14 or something else?

I think (not quite sure) there is something in the works to automatically upgrade users to an HD wallet.

Honestly I keep delaying updating to 0.13 because im too lazy to send all the bitcoins in packages through coincontrol etc, seems like a hellish task to do.

You don't have to do all of that. You can just keep using your non-hd wallet in 0.13.0 and do things as you used to do.

[thejaytiesto]

What do you mean with simplified? Old wallets will be compatible and automatically be HD wallet as you open it with 0.14 or something else?

I think (not quite sure) there is something in the works to automatically upgrade users to an HD wallet.

Honestly I keep delaying updating to 0.13 because im too lazy to send all the bitcoins in packages through coincontrol etc, seems like a hellish task to do.

You don't have to do all of that. You can just keep using your non-hd wallet in 0.13.0 and do things as you used to do.

Cool I will just do that, but I will need to keep making a new backup recently since I generate new addresses... well at least this forces me to keep making backups.

What are the chances to ever hit the limit of generated addresses in an non HD wallet? i suppose the program tells you when you need a new wallet?

[achow101]

What are the chances to ever hit the limit of generated addresses in an non HD wallet? i suppose the program tells you when you need a new wallet?

There is no address limit. You keep generating addresses forever.