HOWTO: create a 100% secure wallet

[qualia8]

I made a guide for this that also includes screenshots and detailed instructions on running Ubuntu from a thumb drive including how to set up the thumb drive, showing hidden files and securing your wallet.dat! http://startbitcoin.com/how-to-create-a-secure-bitcoin-wallet/

Hope you enjoy it and if you do please donate - 1HbdRpinMDQ2cgUWsKiMPDN2icC8rNpS1i

done!

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[Dandelion]

Due to hdd led activity when using Ubuntu LiveCD, I simply pulled the hard drive out of my laptop and then booted to successfully manage my bitcoin business.

Installation of bitcoin, p7zip and apg password generation software went smoothly, although Ubuntu started to complain about memory (4Gb) running out as the block sequence database was filled, although everything worked in the end .

In my case, p7zip (available from Ubuntu software center) is used for making a password protected .7z-archive, e.g. 7z a -p archivename.7z wallet.dat to add the wallet to a password protected archive. This archive, and password, is now duplicated, fireproofed and stored separately close by and far away.

As for password generation, apg (

Code:

sudo apt-get install apg

) is being used to generate a sufficiently random password of chosen length. Here I am using something like

Code:

apg -s -a 1 -m 14

, where -s lets me randomly type on the keyboard before generating password, -a 1 means I want a non-pronounceable password and where -m 14 means I need a password containing 14 characters.

Donations encourage higher quality information: 171UsWba72m5PdpT3D7jZjNX9PuzeFcMwc

[doodyhead]

Useful stuff, thanks!

[Stupidpal]

This is an extremely good idea. Also I love the humour in the post.

[MrMoon]

Thank you very much for putting this together.

[thinkweis]

I made a guide for this that also includes screenshots and detailed instructions on running Ubuntu from a thumb drive including how to set up the thumb drive, showing hidden files and securing your wallet.dat! http://startbitcoin.com/how-to-create-a-secure-bitcoin-wallet/

Hope you enjoy it and if you do please donate - 1HbdRpinMDQ2cgUWsKiMPDN2icC8rNpS1i

done!

Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed my guide and hope others will check it out!

[minor_miner]

Very nice guide - helpful and amusing to read! 

Also, take it easy and be a cool guy woh doesn't afraid of anything.

You don't happen to hang around C&P of the EVE-online forums, do you?

[aiwk171]

You don't happen to hang around C&P of the EVE-online forums, do you?

I only know the meaning of one of those things, and I've never visited either. Guess it's just the hivemind popculture seeping in.

And why is thinkweis getting donations in my thread?  So far, this whole HOWTO gained me a single donation of 0.001 btc. /DramaQueen
Maybe I should've added some screenshots, or pictures of cats

[jpeterson]

I'd like to promote a tool which generates new key-pairs and gives you a plain-text file as well as PDF's with QR codes. Perfect for a savings account.

1. Run the tool
2. Print the papers and store them in your bank deposit box
3. Send money to it
4. Profit

Link to the tool, called paper-keys: https://github.com/bitcoin-labs/paper-keys

And DO NOT copy the papers in a copy machine since they tend to keep copies of all documents on an internal hard drive: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml

[TiWu]

Thanks for the clear (and funny) explanation...
Will be linking to this post in my signature to create awareness.

[aim6i]

Thanks! That was somewhat helpful but mostly just funny!

[l33]

You rally dont have to reboot your system if you use virtualbox boot the live CD from the VM. Thanks I might look into this.

[Zengzang]

Thank you very much for putting this together.

[rrttyyuu3223]

Useful info is useful. tyvm!

[nexticeage]

Thanks for the post, all my BTC are tied up in MtGox! Obviously it's not a bad idea to consider storing them elsewhere.

[onis_uk]

am i missing the point and cant i just put the bitcoins on my usb stick and then keep my usb stick in my safe ?!?!
thus having no need for a e-wallet ?!?!
cheers dom

[UniverseMan]

Questions:

1. Is it be possible to create a second partition on the USB drive in order to store any install files and such? I'm imagining that partition 0 has the bootable Ubuntu Live environment and partition 1 has bitcoin install file, truecrypt install file, etc. This is so that you do not need to redownload the install files every time you want to use the wallet.

2. Do I need to wait for the blockchain to download every time I want to send coins from my savings wallet? Or if a partitioning scheme like I mentioned in 1. above works, could I somehow keep the downloaded blockchain stored in another partition and only need to update it when I boot Ubuntu? If that is possible, how would I do that?

3. Let us say I boot Ubuntu from my USB drive, install bitcoin and such, then mount a truecrypt container with my savings wallet inside. Do I then copy the wallet.dat into ~/.bitcoin to use it, or should I make a link (using "mklink" as discussed above) to the file inside the mounted truecrypt container? (I don't actually know how links like that work, so this question might not even make sense.)

Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions. I know how to do the Ubuntu Live install and all that, but I want to make sure I know how to juggle all the other files and things I will need.

[aquabit]

Interesting. Thanks for the info.  

[matt_b]

Very helpful. Thanks for the posts!

[gade202]

Thanks!  Was curious on what exactly to backup.  Simple to follow to boot.