Checking old wallet files...

[superbotolo]

Hi all,

I have a bunch of old wallet files in my laptop that I have stored during the years and many testings of various cryptocurrencies.

I have been playing today to check their balance and see if I have any hidden treasure chest (I don't think that's the case).

So far the only positive balance was found in one of the "sending addresses" in Bitcoin Core but if I understand correctly, this is not an address I own but an address I sent money to, correct?

Also, I have another wallet file that I tried to load in Bitcoin Core but was rejected. It might be a wallet of another cryptocurrency (maybe Dogecoin??). How can I check this?

[1713416927]

1713416927

[1713416927]

1713416927

[AB de Royse777]

~snip~

Also, I have another wallet file that I tried to load in Bitcoin Core but was rejected. It might be a wallet of another cryptocurrency (maybe Dogecoin??). How can I check this?

Keep a copy of the DAT file and try with Dogecoin. If it does not work then try with another possible wallet you have used before. And I don't think I understood your first query.

So far the only positive balance was found in one of the "sending addresses" in Bitcoin Core but if I understand correctly, this is not an address I own but an address I sent money to, correct?

[superbotolo]

Keep a copy of the DAT file and try with Dogecoin. If it does not work then try with another possible wallet you have used before. And I don't think I understood your first query.

So I guess there is no way to open the file with a text editor and understand from its content which crypto wallet this file refers to?

As for the first query, here is what I did to check the balance of these files. I moved each wallet.dat file in the Bitcoin Core directory. I then opened the client with no internet connection and I copy/paster all the addresses in the Sending and Receiving section of the client. I then copy/pasted each address into blockchain.info to see the current balance. All addresses had a 0 BTC balance, except one address that I found in the Sending section of the Bitcoin client.

[ABCbits]

So far the only positive balance was found in one of the "sending addresses" in Bitcoin Core but if I understand correctly, this is not an address I own but an address I sent money to, correct?

Yes

Also, I have another wallet file that I tried to load in Bitcoin Core but was rejected. It might be a wallet of another cryptocurrency (maybe Dogecoin??). How can I check this?

There are 2 3 ways :
1. Download client for cryptocurrency you think you own/use in past and load wallet.dat into that wallet client/application
2. Open your wallet.dat with any text editor and look for text/string which represent a cryptocurrency (on Bitcoin Core, usually list of the address are on bottom of file/line). It's painfully slow method and i don't recommend this method.
For example, on my Bitcoin testnet wallet, there are 14.6K lines and i found list of my address on line 14357
3. Use pywallet (https://github.com/jackjack-jj/pywallet) to get list of address of your wallet.dat. Check https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/25315 for more information

Make sure you backup your wallet.dat before doing anything else.

[djhomeschool]

To find out to what cryptocurrency a wallet.dat file belongs to first back it up, download notepad++ (https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v7.6.6.html) and open the file with Notepad++.
Now search for "name" in the file. The cryptocurrency address is right after the "name" value in the wallet.dat file.
Now you can see the addresses stored in the wallet.dat file and analyze it to find out that currency it belongs to.

Hope this helps.

[djhomeschool]

So far the only positive balance was found in one of the "sending addresses" in Bitcoin Core but if I understand correctly, this is not an address I own but an address I sent money to, correct?

Yes

Also, I have another wallet file that I tried to load in Bitcoin Core but was rejected. It might be a wallet of another cryptocurrency (maybe Dogecoin??). How can I check this?

There are 2 3 ways :
1. Download client for cryptocurrency you think you own/use in past and load wallet.dat into that wallet client/application
2. Open your wallet.dat with any text editor and look for text/string which represent a cryptocurrency (on Bitcoin Core, usually list of the address are on bottom of file/line). It's painfully slow method and i don't recommend this method.
For example, on my Bitcoin testnet wallet, there are 14.6K lines and i found list of my address on line 14357
3. Use pywallet (https://github.com/jackjack-jj/pywallet) to get list of address of your wallet.dat. Check https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/25315 for more information

Make sure you backup your wallet.dat before doing anything else.

Actually just search for "name" and the address will be right next to it.

[djhomeschool]

2. Open your wallet.dat with any text editor and look for text/string which represent a cryptocurrency (on Bitcoin Core, usually list of the address are on bottom of file/line). It's painfully slow method and i don't recommend this method.

Actually just search for "name" and the address will be right next to it.

You're right, i didn't know about it. But is it same for older version of wallet (which forked from Bitcoin-qt or Bitcoin Core) ?

Same for ALL wallet.dat format files.

[nc50lc]

-snip-
Just try this solution then put it into your core-qt , start it and insert recovery code(if it locked)
-deleted - potentially harmful file-

@superbotolo Whatever this is, do not download it!
The latest rar file was just uploaded in GitHub today without any pull requests/merge to review.
Also, do not entertain any PMs requesting you to install/download an app or asking for your wallet.dat.
Like djhomeschool said, a simple pre-installed notepad app is enough to tell if it is BitcoinCore's wallet.dat or not.

[HCP]

For better results please switch-off Firewall and antivirus.

Seems legit




Possibly the worst attempt at malware shilling I've ever seen.

[Quidat]

For better results please switch-off Firewall and antivirus.

Seems legit




Possibly the worst attempt at malware shilling I've ever seen.

Supports for all Core Wallet.dat files.
Supports for all Electrum wallet_default files.
MyEtherium backup files.
For better results please switch-off Firewall and antivirus.
Injoy.


You would really injoy if your funds are being stolen. lol. For best results thing i thought i do see an advertisement.  

[ABCbits]

Maybe your wallet.dat  password protected and you not remember.
Just try this solution then put it into your core-qt , start it and insert recovery code(if it locked)
<link censored>

Before anyone attempt download files from that repository and accidentally open malicious files, here are the content of the repository :
- README.md
- CryptoWalletPassRecover.rar
  - CryptoWalletPassRecover.exe
  - README_CWPR.txt

Code:

Crypto wallets password recovery GUI win 32/64.

Supported new algorithms of recovery methods.

Very easy to work with it.

Just add your file ,check the methods of recovery.

Supports for all Core Wallet.dat files.

Supports for all Electrum wallet_default files.

MyEtherium backup files.
For better results please switch-off Firewall and antivirus.


1. Install software
2. Provide us (<email censored>) ID Hardware and username
3. Get license from us to use it.
4. Injoy

For purchase the Pro version,please write to: <email censored>

Clearly it's dangerous application, real application on GitHub always :
1. Provide source code (where anyone can compile the application by himself)
2. Never share .exe / other compiled application on commit, but release page

[cellard]

Do not download any apps, it's dangerous specially in windows... even if you could download the source code and compile it yourself just don't risk it and follow this easy method: You simply open your wallet.dat file, with any text editor of choice, and use ctrl+f to search for "name"" and if your wallet.dat file had any addresses, you will find them there. Now you just have to look at the format and you'll know. (If they begin with 1, it's BTC, if they begin with L, it's LTC...). Most have very recognizable formats. In the case of doubt, just enter the address in the block explorers you suspect the address belongs to look for any funds. This way you don't have to wait for it to sync to see if your wallet matches the client. And this is the trick I've been using when I found random wallet.dat files.

[strimbello]

So, after all of this:
- redownloaded the blockchain without prune
- opened the wallet X1.dat ...
- the wallet opened after an hour of whatever it was doing in the backgrond (it's 2020, can't believe the bitcoin core software is still this kind of thing, but ok... we'll have to deal with that)
- the wallet opened, but there was nothing, no transactions, not adresses, nothing (I'm sure there must at least be 10 tx in there)
- re opening the file with the -rescan option in command line now. It's not giving a status just "rescanning" on the first page.

So yeah. No smooth sailing for bitocin core (Now I rememeber why I didn't use this too many times it's not exactly user friendly to put it mildly).

If the currect one opens somewhere within the coming 24h I'll maybe know more.

Is it true that Legacy wallet transactions aren't shown in there?

[ranochigo]

Is it true that Legacy wallet transactions aren't shown in there?

No. If your wallet is functioning correctly and there were transactions inside, the transactions would still be shown.

Are you certain that it is synchronized? Rescanning tends to take sometime as it has to scan through the blockchain for the transaction.

[strimbello]

Hi new update:
So I've opened the X1.dat wallet... and it synchronized and rescanned.
When it openend, everything was blank. No tx, nothing.
I did a dumpwallet command from console on that wallet file... seems when I open that resulting file, all the adresses it dumped are in Segwit. That's not what I needed at all.

How can I make it do a dumpwallet command on the Legacy adresses?

thanks for all the help so far, it got me going, I feel I'm getting closer

[HCP]

It's probably safe to just ignore the addresses for now... dumpwallet will have given you something better... the private keys!

It should be the at the start of each line, before the date and begin with a 5, L or K...

Simply import all those private keys into a nice lightweight wallet like Electrum. It'll quickly scan all of them for the transactions/balances in a matter of minutes. By default, when you import to Electrum it will import them as Legacy addresses.

Get Electrum here: www.electrum.org - As always, confirm you are on electrum.org (there are a number of phishing sites)... and verify the digital signatures!