Please help test: bitcoin version 0.4 release candidate 2

[Alex Zee]

Is there a way to un-encrypt the wallet?

[Gavin Andresen]

Is there a way to un-encrypt the wallet?

No.

Why not? I don't remember. Why would you want to un-encrypt it?  (I ask because if you want to save an unencrypted backup then maybe a better feature would be "backup wallet" with an option to backup encrypted or unencrytped)

[Alex Zee]

Why would you want to un-encrypt it?

To import addresses into it.

I have a backup, can there be any problems if I just overwrite the encrypted wallet with the backup? I didn't have any new transactions.

[Pieter Wuille]

Private key import/export (which is ready for merging, but not yet in 0.4) is already rebased against wallet crypto, and will decrypt private keys on export, and encrypt them on import.

Also, backups work as before: even encrypted wallets contain reserve keys, and as long as you didn't use them all up, restoring a backup shouldn't be any problem.

[teukon]

I've not done much testing yet but have had no serious problems with rc2 yet.

I only found one minor issue.  As has been mentioned before, the 'Cancel' buttons of many of the dialogue boxes which ask for a password are not handled properly.  When encrypting a wallet or changing the password the cancel button always gives an error.  Also, when supplying a password for a payment or for creating a new address the cancel button picks up the "please supply a password" information box which I assume is intended for the case of selecting 'OK' with an empty password field.

The information boxes and warnings given when encrypting a wallet or changing a password are particularly well done.  I'm sure we agree that this aspect of the user interface is perhaps the most important.  I thought it would be good to mention that wallets cannot easily be decrypted but this would make the confirmation dialogue for wallet encryption too long.  One thing I found odd was that the confirmation dialogue was placed between asking for a password and confirming the password.  The first time I came to the dialogue I was worried that the password I'd supplied contained a typo.

Among other things I've created some new addresses, transferred BTC in and out, restored an unencrypted backup.  I've not managed to break the software and everything seems to work as it should.

Do you accept donations for client development Gavin?