Strange Password Problem

[Near28]

Hi,

I am currently playing with an old wallet.dat from elctrum 1.9xx.

I have some strange things going on.

If i enter the passwort to unlock the seed: it shows 0 words (old AES Bug, i know)
If i try to change the Password, it works fine (now i can unlock the seed with the new password) but it still empty
Export Private Keys works too - only that they are not for my addresses

I am pretty sure the password i use is correct. How can it work to Export Private Keys/Change Password but not to decode the Seed?

[1714191849]

1714191849

[HCP]

Not sure about the password/seed issue...

But as for your private keys, the export may be showing compressed private key for uncompressed address (or vice versa)... I'd suggest making an offline copy of bitaddress.org (https://www.bitaddress.org) and then putting the private key(s) from the export into that. It should generate TWO addresses (one compressed, one uncompressed) for each key... hopefully ONE of them is/are your address(es).

If so, make a note of the "actual" private key for your address(es).

And I'd suggest you move your coins to a newer wallet file when you get a chance to minimise the odds of a similar issues from cropping up in the future.

[pooya87]

have you tried unlocking your wallet file with the same Electrum version?
remember to use the original wallet file not the one you just imported because this one is now changed to match new version and it may not work with old ones anymore.

you can get the installation from either one of these places:
https://download.electrum.org/
https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/releases

[Near28]

Hi Guys,

thanks for your Answers.

@HCP

I Already tested the Private Key with Bitadresses.org - no match!

@pooya87
I realy don't know the Version of Electrum but it was a .dat so it should not be newer than v1.9x.

i do not understand why i can change the password and export the Private Keys (Wrong Private Keys ?) but the seed box still empty - for example i change the password from "test" to "test1", when i try to decode the seed with new password test1 the seed box still empty, if i try to get the Private Keys it works but still Wrong Private Keys that not match the Address. I also try it on the electrum Console but the same issue:

>> getseed ()
{
    "mnemonic": "",
    "seed": "",
    "version": 4
}
>>

If the Password is wrong (Old AES Bug) why can i change the password successful with the (possible wrong) old one?

[HCP]

Seems like the actual wallet file is possibly corrupted... I assume you've already tried simply opening (a copy of) the original wallet file in a text editor and having a look?

I believe the earlier versions did not encrypt the entire wallet file... only the actual keys/seeds data within the file, if you had set a password.

Is the "seed" value in the original wallet actually populated there?

[BitMaxz]

Did you try to upgrade the wallet instead to the latest one directly but must be backup them first before you upgrade your electrum..
You must backup your wallet.dat Including your private keys and seed phrase for future restoration then start for upgrading..
Try to upgrade them first in electrum 2.0 version and let sync and test if your wallet is everything fine your wallet includes bitcoin or test the password..
Then you can upgrade the electrum to 2.9.3 and check if your wallet is not getting error when trying to use your wallet.dat with the password..
If its working fine then better to start transfer it to new wallet in electrum segwit support to take the advantage of lesser fee and transaction size.

Note:You must use the installer of electrum not a portable so that you electrum could upgrade itself.
You must also do this method faster because all old version of electrum is not safe anymore..

[Near28]

Hey Guys,

I tried all of this. I Install Electrum from version 1.8.x to 1.9.8 and found out that the wallet was created with version 1.9.6 to 1.9.8.
From Version 1.9 to 1.9.x my Password works but the Seed-Box remain empty. In Version 1.9 I can successfully change the password but Electrum used the new Password to Encrypt the Seed a second time.
If i Change the password and dont set a new one, Electrum deleted the seed and change the wallet to Watch Only.

For now that is my Progress:
with a Pyhton Script i have decrypted the seed manually with the password (that one that opens the empty seed box) and got a huge "hex-seed" that i decrypt to a 48 word Old-Electrum Seed - but that is definitely not the right seed, i managed to short the "hex-seed" and convert it to a 12-Word-Electrum Seed - but it does not work either.

only for clarification, that is not my "real" wallet, i have found it with other Electrum, Multibit, Bitcoin-Core wallets that i used in the past. it have "only" 0.23BTC in it. My other wallets are safe on a Hardware-Wallet.

This is just about personal curiosity. 

I found some resolved issues on Electrums Github - maybe they are to blame for my problem. I will keep you up to date. If anyone has other ideas I'd be glad to hear them.

[Near28]

Hi Guys,

Problem was solved, i set up an Amazon instance and cracked it . Finally, the password was wrong   - which is completely strange because the password.txt and the Wallet-file was in the same folder. The password was 5 (Random) Chars longer, i am 99.9% sure this was not my work, anyway.. Unfortunately, I have not found out yet why Electrum get me a 0-word-Seed with exactly this password, i can reproduce this error - it apears only on this seed with this password.

[HCP]

Quite possibly just a big in the old version of Electrum which was subsequently patched. I've seen "similar" things happen with AES where an incorrect password will "decrypt" rubbish...

Several people have had similar things with old MultiBit wallets where a password appears to work but doesn't output the correct data.

Glad you managed to figure it out... Hopefully the Amazon servers didn't cost tooooo much!

[Near28]

Nope, it was a thing of 15min+/-. It took me more time to set everything up  .

But i give this one a try https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/duplicates/7ijzt6/im_giving_away_05btc_to_whoever_finds_my_lost/
Unfortunately without success

In Total with this two i burn around 100 Bucks.