Offline Wallet install

[lord bookington]

Say my computer is not connected to the internet and I install the bitcoin client onto it via a memory stick, make a copy of the wallet.dat file (put it on a usb and also take note of the recieving address), then remove the Bitcoin program and delete files from my computer. (still offline)

Is the wallet.dat file I created valid? if I use the recieving address to send bitcoins to, will I be able to recover my coins at a later date, using the wallet.dat file I copied while offline?

 

[1714823745]

1714823745

[1714823745]

1714823745

[1714823745]

1714823745

[Garrett Burgwardt]

The wallet is completely offline - it doesn't connect to create the private keys.

[casascius]

Yes, the wallet is valid and can receive coins.

Creating valid addresses requires no contact with the network.  If moving a sizable sum to an offline wallet, make more than one copy of the wallet.dat, and don't forget to make another backup if you SPEND any coins out of it (even 0.01) because the unspent balance goes to a new hidden "change" address and you risk losing it if all you had was the original wallet.

(Oddly, the risk of losing coins in this manner is reduced if you generate three or four new addresses BEFORE you close the program and back up the wallet.dat, due to a technical peculiarity in the program, as doing so is likely to pre-generate the future invisible "change" address before it's needed, which will become part of your backup.)