Bitcoins vapourised? [RESOLVED: bitcoin-qt -rescan required]

[Jaymax]

Hi,  

So I've got this wallet that I've sent some coins to.  I did like I was told and encrypted in using the inbuilt encryption, backed it up, etc.

Bitcoin-qt now starts up and puts a cute little padlock in the bottom right corner, with hovertext "Wallet is encrypted and currently locked" - which is lovely and all, but how the f^(% do I now reopen it?

I can see anything in the menu's, rightclicking etc...  :-(

Also, should the balance update with the wallet locked?  I had assumed so, but it's still at 0.00 - I can see the coins going to my address at blockchain.info, which is nice - maybe.

Thanks in advance, --J

[sharochka]

The lock just means it's encrypted. Everything will still work. When you make a backup, send a payment, etc - it will ask for the password you gave.

[Jaymax]

Okay, so yes, not for backup, but when I added another receiving address it validated the passkey... so far so good...

BUT!!!

How come the balance shows ZERO and I can't send a coin from one address to another because the "amount exceeds your balance"

This is the address I'm trying to send from, that I withdrew BTC from the exchange 'into':  (cut and paste from bincoin-qt into blockchain.info search box...)

https://blockchain.info/address/1FidVQkMfX4ezDHqfbrA4kprpKGPGUXdPT

Please someone tell me I just need to click on something and that I haven't lost 30 BTC   :-(

[sharochka]

leave out all the http info and just paste the bitcoin address, and you have to send from the site you bought the BTC at - mtgox, etc...

[sharochka]

Log into your account where ever you purchased your BTC and send the money to your bitcoin-qt address pasting just the address.

[Jaymax]

Perhaps I'm not being clear

1FidVQkMfX4ezDHqfbrA4kprpKGPGUXdPT

-Is- my bitcoin-qt address.  Blockchain.info shows the two withdrawals from my BitStamp account to my bitcoin-qt wallet, totalling 30 bitcoins around ten days ago.

Background:   Because I was busy getting ready to move halfway around the world to the UK at the time (I arrived 5 days ago) I sent half my the bitcoins to the address above once I had generated and secured the bitcoin-qt wallet, even though I had not sync'ed bitcoin-qt to the blockchain at that time.  I did this because I didn't want to leave all my investment at BitStamp and get to the UK, get set up, log on, and learn that BitStamp had been hacked boo hoo.  (Fortunately, I left half my funds at BitStamp).

:-(

Trapped in newbie world for another few hours ... 

[sharochka]

Have you fully synced it now? I've had transactions come through when my bitcoin-qt app was not running. The transaction did show up later.

[DannyHamilton]

Assuming that the 1FidVQkMfX4ezDHqfbrA4kprpKGPGUXdPT is listed under the "Receive Coins" section of your Bitcoin-Qt wallet, you likely have one of two possible issues:

Either the wallet is not fully synchronized with the blockchain, or the wallet somehow didn't see the transfer in the blockchain.

If the wallet is not fully synchronized, then you have to lave it running and let it get synchronized.  The transfer won't show up in your wallet until the wallet has synchronized the block where the transfer happened.

If the wallet is fully synchronized, you can try a "rescan" of the blockchain.  Don't worry, this isn't a re-synchronization.  It won't take as long as a full synchronization would, but it may take a couple of hours.  Exit completely from Bitcoin-Qt and wait for it to completely shut down.  Then from a command line in your operating system, run the Bitcoin-Qt program with a --rescan option.

[Jaymax]

Thanks DannyHamilton... gonna run a -rescan now. 

Here's a screenshot showing it is sync'd (as at about ten minutes age)



And here's one showing it's in my 'receive coins' addresses list.



I don't see how it could miss the transfer, all it had to do for most of yesterday and a bit of today was follow the chain... I'm not optimistic, but we shall see.  :-/

[DannyHamilton]

Thanks DannyHamilton... gonna run a -rescan now. 

Good luck.  Hopefully it will resolve your problem.

I don't see how it could miss the transfer,

I don't either, and yet it seems to happen from time to time.

[Jaymax]

Doh!

I know how... I could'a brought the bitchain up to sync on this new install BEFORE restoring my secured/backed up wallet.dat   <slaps self>

Looking back: Some of the 'how to set up a secure wallet' advise leaves the impression that the

<<<NMI>>>

rescan complete



<<<RTI>>>

impression that the wallet.dat is decoupled from the blockchain data - which must've seeped into my subconscious.

DannyHamilton, thanks - loads and loads of thanks till it makes you feel slightly uncomfortable  :-D

[DannyHamilton]

- snip -
DannyHamilton, thanks - loads and loads of thanks
- snip -

No worried.  Glad to be of an assistance.