Can't restore wallet: help appreciated

[Janasery]

I am running Electrum 2.8.2 full install on a Win 7 32 bit desktop. I created an encrypted wallet and made a couple of transactions. Then I had a Windows crash. When I next tried to send some bitcoins I had in my wallet, Electrum would not accept the password that I had used when I first set up the wallet.

I still have my seed stored safely but I cannot find any way to restore the wallet using it. When I look at the FAQ's I find

"Your wallet can be entirely recovered from its seed. For this, select the “restore wallet” option in the startup."

I don't find a startup with Electrum 2.8.2, when I click on File, it offers, amongst others, New/Restore. When I click on that it opens a pop-up "New Wallet" without any button for a Restore action.  When I put the wallet name in the New Wallet pop-up it brings up an error popup with a red cross saying Fie Exists.

Electrum can "open" the wallet as it shows the value of bitcoins in it. When I try to send the bitcoins it asks for a password, when I enter the password it then reports Error: Incorrect Password. Same result if I click on Wallet, the Password.

I can find no way to restore the wallet using my seed.

I am obviously missing something and be extremely grateful for any help or guidance in solving this so that I can access my funds.

[FruitsBasket]

I am running Electrum 2.8.2 full install on a Win 7 32 bit desktop. I created an encrypted wallet and made a couple of transactions. Then I had a Windows crash. When I next tried to send some bitcoins I had in my wallet, Electrum would not accept the password that I had used when I first set up the wallet.

I still have my seed stored safely but I cannot find any way to restore the wallet using it. When I look at the FAQ's I find

"Your wallet can be entirely recovered from its seed. For this, select the “restore wallet” option in the startup."

I don't find a startup with Electrum 2.8.2, when I click on File, it offers, amongst others, New/Restore. When I click on that it opens a pop-up "New Wallet" without any button for a Restore action.  When I put the wallet name in the New Wallet pop-up it brings up an error popup with a red cross saying Fie Exists.

Electrum can "open" the wallet as it shows the value of bitcoins in it. When I try to send the bitcoins it asks for a password, when I enter the password it then reports Error: Incorrect Password. Same result if I click on Wallet, the Password.

I can find no way to restore the wallet using my seed.

I am obviously missing something and be extremely grateful for any help or guidance in solving this so that I can access my funds.

Of course you need your wallet password when you are trying to send your bitcoins. Your wallet is protected with an password that you have set, do u still have that password?

If u don't have the password, u can try to reinstall multibit or electrum and recover them with the recover wallet option instead of creating a new wallet option.

If u need help, send me a PM and I can guide u with screenshots and examples.

[HI-TEC99]

Try downloading the portable version from here, creating a new folder, and running it inside that folder.

https://electrum.org/#download

The first time you run it try following these steps.

[Janasery]

I thought that I would try Hi-Tec99's suggestion first as it seemed somewhat simpler. I downloaded Electrum 2.8.2. portable and copied it into a new folder. I ran it and repeated the screenshot steps you provided and ended up with the following:

http://imgur.com/a/rBI7i

This seems to be the state of the wallet before these troubles as it shows a previous transaction. After the seed step it allows me to access the wallet.

If I go back and follow the steps again but this time use the Choose button to select the wallet kept in a different folder that I know has the funds in it, when I click Next, Electrum skips the next two steps, i.e. Create "default_wallet" and Keystore, and opens up the following:

http://imgur.com/a/lOcL9

which shows the funds in the wallet. However the process provides no opportunity to restore it using the seed. When I click on Wallet and Password, it brings up the change password popup but when I put what I think was the password it returns Error Incorrect Password.

[Janasery]

Sorry I am clearly not getting the hang of inserting screenshots but this was the first one:

http://imgur.com/a/lOcL9

[FruitsBasket]

This is what I found on the electrum website: "It is not possible to recover your password. However, you can restore your wallet from its seed phrase, and and choose a new password. If you lose both your password and your seed, there is no way to recover your money. This is why we ask you to save your seed phrase on paper."

And I found this on a forum: "There's two types of wallet. A conventional wallet is just a collection of random keys, Bitcoin-QT and Multibit fit into this category. A Hierarchical Deterministic like Electrum or Armory generate all the keys in the wallet from a single key, so that one backup is permanently associated with a wallet no mater how many new addresses and change addresses are used."

So it must be possible to recover your funds somehow. Do you have the private key or just only the wallet seed?

[HCP]

Instead of using the portable app... you just use "new/restore" and give the wallet a different name from your original wallet... restore your seed. Then make sure you wait until it is fully sync'd... check the little icon in the bottom right corner is green dot and not blue arrows.

(you can click the icon and check that the block number matches the latest block mined to be sure)

If all that is good,  and you still domt have the correct number of coins displayed, it's possible that you somehow ended up with coins in an address past the gap limit... so the restored wallet just hasnt scanned those addresses.

[Janasery]

All the kind help is much appreciated. I do have the 13 word seed which was copied and pasted into a secure password holding software.

Perhaps the best way to clarify the problem is by sequence of screenshots.

The following is the wallet which shows the balance in it (that I can no longer access after a problem seemingly created when I had a Windows crash with the Electrum program open trying to send some bitcoins)

https://s2.postimg.org/npwqzxizd/Screenshot_-_1a.png

When I click on Wallet/Seed and enter the password:

https://s14.postimg.org/f3wpuutv5/Screenshot_-1g.png

and click OK I get:

https://s2.postimg.org/vwtc58yft/Screenshot_-_1c.png

When I click on Wallet/Password and enter the password (leaving New Password and Confirm password blank to remove password security for the wallet for the time being):

https://s2.postimg.org/z67rbpmjd/Screenshot_-_1e.png

 and click OK I get:

https://s2.postimg.org/cvjwbqp95/Screenshot_-_1f.png

So no way that I can find to use seed to restore this wallet.

When I create a new folder and place the Electrum.exe in it and run it I get:

https://s22.postimg.org/hjvvz0r69/Screenshot_-_4a.png

https://s12.postimg.org/sesehn4b1/Screenshot_-_3a.png

https://s22.postimg.org/tpl39f5w1/Screenshot_-_3b.png

https://s22.postimg.org/ixniubqfl/Screenshot_-_4d.png

after entering seed:

https://s22.postimg.org/57szlj3bl/Screenshot_-_3c.png

Click OK leaving blank to temporarily not encrypt:

https://s22.postimg.org/6yc0n0kup/Screenshot_-_3e.png

which shows a wallet with the two historical transactions reflected but showing 0 balance

When I then click File-New/Restore:

https://s22.postimg.org/4ndyiua35/Screenshot_-_5a.png

https://s22.postimg.org/kx44lqkr5/Screenshot_-_5b.png

https://s22.postimg.org/sog96jzip/Screenshot_-_5c.png

https://s22.postimg.org/hnl41j79t/Screenshot_-_5d.png

https://s22.postimg.org/uqgqksxht/Screenshot_-_5e.png

and click OK after entering seed

https://s22.postimg.org/h89u8ilch/Screenshot_-_5f.png

leaving blank and clicking OK

https://s22.postimg.org/r4ax85r4h/Screenshot_-_5g.png

I end up with wallet with no encryption showing historical transaction but 0 balance.

I hope this helps clarify the problem (and that I haven't mixed up any screenshots) as to not being able to restore the wallet with a balance of 0.01878453 BTC.

Once again thanks to all who have helped so far and in advance to any who might chip in.

[kolloh]

It sounds like you might not be restoring the same wallet. Are you sure that the 13 word seed that you have is for the same wallet you are attempting to restore and not a different one?

I recommend you go to the Addresses tab and compare the addresses in that list. Press Ctrl-A to bring up the Addresses tab. Are you seeing the same addresses or different ones?

[HCP]

It would appear that your "default_wallet" is not using whatever seed that you have written down. That is pretty much the only reason I can think of that you are seeing different transactions between the old wallet and a newly restored one.

Also, the program says that your wallet file is not encrypted? but you say you created an encrypted wallet? You should be able to open your wallet file in a text editor to see the contents.


Can you check the "Addresses" tab and confirm that the addresses in "default_wallet" and "wallet_1" are the same? (You may need to goto "Wallet -> Addresses") to get the tab to show up. Once on the tab you may need to click the ">" symbols to expand the address lists.

If the addresses are all different, then the seed you have is not for the wallet with the 0.018 balance.

If you right click the transaction for 0.018 and select "Details", you should be able to see what address that was sent to, copy that address and in the "wallet_1" wallet, goto the "console" tab and type:

ismine("ADDRESS YOU JUST COPIED")

and then press enter... If you get "false", the address definitely isn't in that wallet.

[Janasery]

Hi HCP and kolloh,

It appears that you guys have put your finger on the issue.

The address in the wallet with the balance:

https://s9.postimg.org/x5w3exrsf/Screenshot_-_28_05_2017_10_38_42.png

does not appear to exist in the unencrypted 0 balance wallet:

https://s29.postimg.org/b1wy5e6bb/Screenshot_-_28_05_2017_11_10_23.png

following HCP's instructions appears to confirm this:

https://s9.postimg.org/le8844x67/Screenshot_-_28_05_2017_10_42_59.png

I assume that the address should be within "", I tried it without "" just in case

https://s9.postimg.org/kao3s6cj3/Screenshot_-_28_05_2017_10_43_50.png

So in summary it appears that the funds are trapped for eternity due to a combination of Windows fecklessness and somehow contriving to create a new wallet without recording its seed or password (I am utterly mystified as I am completely anal about copying and pasting ever single password etc into my password software). Chalk one up to experience.

Once again many thanks guys for identifying the problem.

[HCP]

regarding that NameError message that you got (ine is not defined)... I think you may have typed the command in too soon... You need to wait for the '>>>' prompt to show before running commands.

The response you get should be either "true" or "false".

On a slightly different track,do you recall ever setting up another wallet? and have you tried opening the default_wallet file with a text editor to see if it has any clues. It is supposedly unencrypted.

[Janasery]

I took a bit more care and time in entering the ismine address this time and it did return "false".

I have opened the unencrypted wallet with my text editor (which shows the seed words in the Keystore section, but I have to admit that I have no idea what might comprise a clue or glimmer of hope? Any suggestions what I should be looking for?

Thanks

[Janasery]

regarding that NameError message that you got (ine is not defined)... I think you may have typed the command in too soon... You need to wait for the '>>>' prompt to show before running commands.

The response you get should be either "true" or "false".

On a slightly different track,do you recall ever setting up another wallet? and have you tried opening the default_wallet file with a text editor to see if it has any clues. It is supposedly unencrypted.

I also was able to open the encrypted wallet showing the balance with my text editor. As expected it shows no seed words, however it does show long lists of characters under "seed" and "xprv". I don't suppose there is any trick or program that could use either or both of them to produce the seed words?

Thanks

[Abdussamad]

Instead of using the portable app... you just use "new/restore" and give the wallet a different name from your original wallet...

It is a travesty that it took until post #7 for someone to suggest this! I guess no one else bothered to read the OP's post to completion!

I also was able to open the encrypted wallet showing the balance with my text editor. As expected it shows no seed words, however it does show long lists of characters under "seed" and "xprv". I don't suppose there is any trick or program that could use either or both of them to produce the seed words?

Thanks

The seed and xprv are encrypted using your password so without the password or the seed words there is nothing you can do. Try to recall the password. If you know enough of the password you can try to bruteforce it using tools like these:

https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/

Or the services offered by walletrecoveryservices.com

[Janasery]

Instead of using the portable app... you just use "new/restore" and give the wallet a different name from your original wallet...

It is a travesty that it took until post #7 for someone to suggest this! I guess no one else bothered to read the OP's post to completion!

I also was able to open the encrypted wallet showing the balance with my text editor. As expected it shows no seed words, however it does show long lists of characters under "seed" and "xprv". I don't suppose there is any trick or program that could use either or both of them to produce the seed words?

Thanks

The seed and xprv are encrypted using your password so without the password or the seed words there is nothing you can do. Try to recall the password. If you know enough of the password you can try to bruteforce it using tools like these:

https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/

Or the services offered by walletrecoveryservices.com

I am mystified how I managed to create a new wallet with seed and password without pasting both in my password program which I "always" do. Colour me totally befuddled. I always use a random password generator to make a password of 40 characters comprising numbers, letters (lower and upper case) and punctuation marks so there is no chance of me ever remembering it (especially since I have drawn a total blank on creating said wallet/password/seed). I will just have to write the balance off as the cost of being dopey!

Many thanks to all who contributed and at least provided me with the satisfaction of knowing what the problem was.