bitcoin qt wallet on USB seems to be reseted - i fear i lost EVERYTHING!

[TheD1ceMan]

guys, i am sitting in front of my computer literally shaking, sweating and chewing my fingernails off.. it seems that something terrible has happened to me and i don't know what to do!!
i just pluged in my USB drive where i have my bitcoin-qt wallet stored. i wanted to send some of newly bought BTC from mtgox to my wallet. i haven't opened my wallet for about a week so i expected that i need to load a pile of blocks first.

but what almost made me shit my pants is the fact that i was ALWAYS able to see my wallet overview with the actual data (overview/amount of coins, open transactions etc.) whenever i did that- even if the blocks needed to update. but today- nothing!!the look and feel is when i started the wallte for the first time. it actually gives me the option to encrypt my wallet, even tough that was one of the first things i did when i used it for the first time!

i am now really afraid that i lost everything as my wallet seems to be reseted or something. and i don't now what to do if this is really the case. it would mean that i would have lost about 3k (roghly 30 coins) in FIAT. and these are pretty much my whole savings!!!!! i now i wasn't supposed to invest money i can't afford to loose. but i don't gamble with my BTC, no trading, i encrypted my wallet, stored it on a USB because i believed it wouldn't be safe on my computer and so on. i invested the money because i am sure BTC will take off one day and give me and my loved ones a chance for a better life.
i won't starve if my wallet is really lost, but my savings would be gone.... and that would hurt me. no way i would be able to buy new coins. all i have left are like 1.8 coins on mt gox.

can anybodyy help me, tell me what might has happened? i have not fully loaded the blocks and exited the wallet because i am afraid that it might overwrite old date that could be somewhere on the USB drive.
i have been googeling to see if the data doesn't show up because i havent used the wallet for approx. a week but i haven't found people with the same issue and i am afraid to try what happens.
i am also searching the internet for information on how to restore data on USB drives. but again, i don't know where the date could have gone.. nobody is using this drive except me and the folder with bitcoin-qt is still there, everything looked the same when i started it..

does anybody have an idea what i have done wrong and how to solve that? please, i'd be willing to to give that person that can help me getting back the about 30 coins in my wallet the coins i still have on mtgox (roughly 1.8 BTC). please guys, i don't wan't to loose my savings and be THAT guy while i have told all my friends and co-workers they should invest because this is a great thing to do.

sorry if i come across crazy but i am really on the edge of breaking down, in my life i have never felt this helpless and you people seem to be the only ones that can help me out here.

any help is much appreciated- thank you so much!

[TheD1ceMan]

i just remembered that i downloaded a movie and stored that movie on the very same USB and then used it on my TV to watch it. could it be that this caused the problem???

[Birdy]

What exactly do you have on the USB stick?
the whole Bitcoin-qt client or just the wallet.dat?

[TheD1ceMan]

What exactly do you have on the USB stick?
the whole Bitcoin-qt client or just the wallet.dat?

the complete client. i installed it on my USB and always launched it from my USB

[hous]

what film was it~?

[Birdy]

What exactly do you have on the USB stick?
the whole Bitcoin-qt client or just the wallet.dat?

the complete client. i installed it on my USB and always launched it from my USB

The important part is the wallet.dat
Check C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin on your computer, are there files?
(AppData is an invisible folder)

[TheD1ceMan]

what film was it~?

hansel and gretel. fucking sucks btw.

[TheD1ceMan]

What exactly do you have on the USB stick?
the whole Bitcoin-qt client or just the wallet.dat?

the complete client. i installed it on my USB and always launched it from my USB

The important part is the wallet.dat
Check C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin on your computer, are there files?
(AppData is an invisible folder)

yes, there are!

[Birdy]

What exactly do you have on the USB stick?
the whole Bitcoin-qt client or just the wallet.dat?

the complete client. i installed it on my USB and always launched it from my USB

The important part is the wallet.dat
Check C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin on your computer, are there files?
(AppData is an invisible folder)

yes, there are!

Okey, alright. There is hope!
Seems like you have never really secured it on the USB at all.
The wallet.dat is the important file with your private keys (aka the keys to your coins)

[TheD1ceMan]

Okey, alright. There is hope!
Seems like you have never really secured it on the USB at all.
The wallet.dat is the important file with your private keys (aka the keys to your coins)
[/quote]

ok, that makes me feel better... what should i do now?

[Birdy]

First secure a copy of the wallet.dat somewhere, then make a fresh install of the qt-client on your PC (don't do anything on the USB stick yet, I don't know what you have done there) and try if it works. I don't think it will overwrite the old wallet.dat but better safe than sorry.

[TheD1ceMan]

First secure a copy of the wallet.dat somewhere, then make a fresh install of the qt-client on your PC (don't do anything on the USB stick yet, I don't know what you have done there) and try if it works. I don't think it will overwrite the old wallet.dat but better safe than sorry.

ok, i will try, thanks!!

[TheD1ceMan]

ok, i downloaded the client and it now updated the blocks. this could take a while.
i just realized that my firewall (or anti virus program) asked me if i want to give bitcoin qt certain rights. this has never happened before and probably is because it has updated (the firewall/virus program).

maybe this has caused the problem in the first place?!

edit: i obiously downloaded the client from a trustworthy source. my computer has done the same thing for other programs today.

[Birdy]

ok, i down loaded the client and it now updated the blocks. this could take a while.
i just realized that my firewall (or anti virus program) asked me if i want to give bitcoin qt certain rights. this has never happened before and probably is because it has updated (the firewall/virus program).

maybe this has caused the problem in the first place?!

I don't know. Does it load the blocks all the way from zero?

[TheD1ceMan]

no, it updates from about half of it. i have safely ejected the USB before i installed and runned the new client tough.

[Rampion]

First secure a copy of the wallet.dat somewhere, then make a fresh install of the qt-client on your PC (don't do anything on the USB stick yet, I don't know what you have done there) and try if it works. I don't think it will overwrite the old wallet.dat but better safe than sorry.

This. And make sure you always have multiple copies of your wallet.dat file, that's the important part.

[TheD1ceMan]

about 87k blocks left

[Birdy]

no, it updates from about half of it. i have safely ejected the USB before i installed and runned the new client tough.

Ok, waiting then. If there is still nothing when synchro is complete copy your secured wallet.dat in
Check C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin and restart the client.
I hope it will help.

[TheD1ceMan]

First secure a copy of the wallet.dat somewhere, then make a fresh install of the qt-client on your PC (don't do anything on the USB stick yet, I don't know what you have done there) and try if it works. I don't think it will overwrite the old wallet.dat but better safe than sorry.

This. And make sure you always have multiple copies of your wallet.dat file, that's the important part.

oh believe me. i will do exactly that and also create a paper wallet and whatnot. IF this goes right and my coins aren't lost i will do whatever it takes to prevent a f-up situation like this from ever happeining again....

[TheD1ceMan]

no, it updates from about half of it. i have safely ejected the USB before i installed and runned the new client tough.

Ok, waiting then. If there is still nothing when synchro is complete copy your secured wallet.dat in
Check C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin and restart the client.
I hope it will help.

will do birdy, thanks a lot!!