Ledger Nano S usability questions

[very_452001]

Hi,

I haven't used my cold Ledger Nano S for over a year now as I consider myself a Hodler not a Trader.

I understand I must have missed several firmwares/updates during this cold period.

The questions are:

- Are my Coins still safe and are straight away viewable when seeing balances when connecting or have they been affected in anyway by Forks or Coin Swaps that I have missed out on?

- How can I be sure for safety once I connect my ledger to my computer making it hot (connect to internet & computer electricity) from a long period of cold?

- Will not using the ledger hardware for long periods of time degrades the hardware components inside similar to a battery?

- Does Ledger still use the Chrome apps for its software? If not is it safe to delete those chrome apps?

- Can I use the old firmware ledger to connect with the new ledger live independent executable software or am I limited to the chrome app 1st if ledger still support chrome app add ons.

- At what stages do I require to re-enter my 24 recovery seed? What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?

- I understand ledger supports more than 1100 different coins however what does it mean if a coin doesn't have ledger live support? Also can I choose which of the 1100 types of altcoins I can view on the leger screen?

- Will the new ledger live software or new firmware reset anything from my old settings and if so what are resetted? Pins? Viewable currency settings etc?

- I remember on Chrome App it allowed to choose which chain for a coin. Does the new live ledger software still have this?

- Lastly what are the new features in the latest hardware firmware and does updating to new firmware delete and resets everything and requires 24 recovery seed?

[TryNinja]

- Are my Coins still safe and are straight away viewable when seeing balances when connecting or have they been affected in anyway by Forks or Coin Swaps that I have missed out on?

Nothing really changed for the major coins. I can't say the same thing for the others because I don't hold nor follow them, so I don't know about any fork or coin swaps.

- How can I be sure for safety once I connect my ledger to my computer making it hot (connect to internet & computer electricity) from a long period of cold?

Just make sure you are using the latest version of the wallet you choose (e.g Ledger Live) and update your Ledger firmware as soon as possible.

- Will not using the ledger hardware for long periods of time degrades the hardware components inside similar to a battery?

Idk. But as long as you have your seed, everything will be alright regardless of what happens with your Nano S.

- Does Ledger still use the Chrome apps for its software? If not is it safe to delete those chrome apps?

The Chrome apps are outdated and deprecated. AFAIK you can still use them, but it's not recommended.[/b]
They released their new desktop wallet called Ledger Live. See: https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-live

- Can I use the old firmware ledger to connect with the new ledger live independent executable software or am I limited to the chrome app 1st if ledger still support chrome app add ons.

Probably. But it's not recommended to keep using an old firmware or the Chrome apps. Try using the Ledger Live; then update your firmware as soon as possible and keep using it.

- At what stages do I require to re-enter my 24 recovery seed? What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?

Only if anything happens when updating the firmware. But why are you not sure of your recovery seed? That's the main thing you should secure.
You could download the Recovery Check app on your Ledger - which will let you test your seed directly from the device and see if it's right.

- I understand ledger supports more than 1100 different coins however what does it mean if a coin doesn't have ledger live support?

Then you will have to use your Ledger with the wallet that supports it.
E.g: NEO isn't fully integrated to the Ledger Live, so you have to use it with the NEON wallet.

Also can I choose which of the 1100 types of altcoins I can view on the leger screen?

Yes. You only install the coins you want.

- Will the new ledger live software or new firmware reset anything from my old settings and if so what are resetted? Pins? Viewable currency settings etc?

No. Only if there is any issue while updating it. See here for more info: https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002731113

- I remember on Chrome App it allowed to choose which chain for a coin. Does the new live ledger software still have this?

Now there is an app for the BTC and one for the BCH fork.

- Lastly what are the new features in the latest hardware firmware and does updating to new firmware delete and resets everything and requires 24 recovery seed?

Normally it doesn't reset. Again, see the link above for more info.

[TheNewAnon135246]

Hey,

I can answer most of them:

- Are my Coins still safe and are straight away viewable when seeing balances when connecting or have they been affected in anyway by Forks or Coin Swaps that I have missed out on?
Your coins are still safe and viewable. I don't think Ledger has supported any forks in the past year. I don't think they support swaps either since it is a cold storage.

- How can I be sure for safety once I connect my ledger to my computer making it hot (connect to internet & computer electricity) from a long period of cold?
Not sure what you mean by this but you'll be safe as long as you use their official software (or use Electrum) to connect with your Ledger.

- Will not using the ledger hardware for long periods of time degrades the hardware components inside similar to a battery?
I don't think the Ledger contains a battery so I doubt it will degrade in any way.

- Does Ledger still use the Chrome apps for its software? If not is it safe to delete those chrome apps?
They have switched to 'Ledger Live', which is downloadable on their website.

- Can I use the old firmware ledger to connect with the new ledger live independent executable software or am I limited to the chrome app 1st if ledger still support chrome app add ons.
I'm pretty sure old firmware will still work, although upgrading is highly advised (due to security reasons).

- At what stages do I require to re-enter my 24 recovery seed? What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?
You only need to use your seed if you do need to recover your wallet. You can always use your seed on a new Ledger to make a backup of your current wallet.

- I understand ledger supports more than 1100 different coins however what does it mean if a coin doesn't have ledger live support? Also can I choose which of the 1100 types of altcoins I can view on the leger screen?
Most of those are ERC20 tokens.

- Will the new ledger live software or new firmware reset anything from my old settings and if so what are resetted? Pins? Viewable currency settings etc?
Upgrading firmware will never reset your PIN since that would be a huge security flaw.

- I remember on Chrome App it allowed to choose which chain for a coin. Does the new live ledger software still have this?
Yes.

- Lastly what are the new features in the latest hardware firmware and does updating to new firmware delete and resets everything and requires 24 recovery seed?
You can find all change logs on the Ledger website. Updating firmware does not delete/reset anything.

[Pmalek]

What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?

All questions have already been answered by previous users.

Your 24 words recovery seed is the most important thing. You have to be absolutely certain that it is correct.
Why do you say that you are not sure about it? Did you misplace the sheet where you wrote it down?
You don't know the order of the words or can't you recognise what you wrote?

If you don't know your seed words and can't verify that they are correct I would suggest you move your funds into another address on a different wallet, like Electrum for your bitcoins, and create a new Ledger wallet making sure that you write down the seed properly and then move them back onto Ledger.

[leowonderful]

I still use the old Chrome apps on my Ledger Nano S, but many functions on the old software are broken like coin price (at least for me), and you're best off just switching over to Live. If you're trying to update your Nano S from an old version of the firmware, you'll need to first update to 1.4.2 before going to 1.5.5 as the support site for Ledger says here (click for link).

If you're trying to access ERC20 tokens on your Ledger, MyEtherWallet allows you to connect your Ledger Nano S to their web interface where you can send and receive ERC20 tokens securely. Click here for the link on the MEW site where you can do this.

[very_452001]

- Are my Coins still safe and are straight away viewable when seeing balances when connecting or have they been affected in anyway by Forks or Coin Swaps that I have missed out on?

Nothing really changed for the major coins. I can't say the same thing for the others because I don't hold nor follow them, so I don't know about any fork or coin swaps.

- How can I be sure for safety once I connect my ledger to my computer making it hot (connect to internet & computer electricity) from a long period of cold?

Just make sure you are using the latest version of the wallet you choose (e.g Ledger Live) and update your Ledger firmware as soon as possible.

- Will not using the ledger hardware for long periods of time degrades the hardware components inside similar to a battery?

Idk. But as long as you have your seed, everything will be alright regardless of what happens with your Nano S.

- Does Ledger still use the Chrome apps for its software? If not is it safe to delete those chrome apps?

The Chrome apps are outdated and deprecated. AFAIK you can still use them, but it's not recommended.[/b]
They released their new desktop wallet called Ledger Live. See: https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-live

- Can I use the old firmware ledger to connect with the new ledger live independent executable software or am I limited to the chrome app 1st if ledger still support chrome app add ons.

Probably. But it's not recommended to keep using an old firmware or the Chrome apps. Try using the Ledger Live; then update your firmware as soon as possible and keep using it.

- At what stages do I require to re-enter my 24 recovery seed? What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?

Only if anything happens when updating the firmware. But why are you not sure of your recovery seed? That's the main thing you should secure.
You could download the Recovery Check app on your Ledger - which will let you test your seed directly from the device and see if it's right.

- I understand ledger supports more than 1100 different coins however what does it mean if a coin doesn't have ledger live support?

Then you will have to use your Ledger with the wallet that supports it.
E.g: NEO isn't fully integrated to the Ledger Live, so you have to use it with the NEON wallet.

Also can I choose which of the 1100 types of altcoins I can view on the leger screen?

Yes. You only install the coins you want.

- Will the new ledger live software or new firmware reset anything from my old settings and if so what are resetted? Pins? Viewable currency settings etc?

No. Only if there is any issue while updating it. See here for more info: https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002731113

- I remember on Chrome App it allowed to choose which chain for a coin. Does the new live ledger software still have this?

Now there is an app for the BTC and one for the BCH fork.

- Lastly what are the new features in the latest hardware firmware and does updating to new firmware delete and resets everything and requires 24 recovery seed?

Normally it doesn't reset. Again, see the link above for more info.

Can I download and use Recovery Check App on old firmware?

That NEO example you gave you mean I have to download a separate NEO wallet from NEO website?

How many altcoins can I store on the ledger nano s? Is there enough space on the ledger nano s to store 1100+ altcoins? I remember I can only install few apps at a time as there wasn't enough space.

[TryNinja]

Can I download and use Recovery Check App on old firmware?

Probably (but I can't confirm). See more about it here: https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007223753-Recovery-Check

That NEO example you gave you mean I have to download a separate NEO wallet from NEO website?

Yes. Some coins aren't fully supported on the Ledger Live. This means that you can't Send/Receive coins just with the Ledger Live software.

You'll have to download a wallet for the coin that supports Ledger (NEON wallet in the case of NEO).
There is a list of wallets for each coin in this page: https://shop.ledger.com/pages/supported-crypto-assets

How many altcoins can I store on the ledger nano s? Is there enough space on the ledger nano s to store 1100+ altcoins? I remember I can only install few apps at a time as there wasn't enough space.

Unfortunately not many coins.

The new Ledger Nano X supports 100 coins app installed at the same time. While the Ledger Nano S only supports 3~5 (depending on which apps you want). But you can always uninstall the app and install a different one that no coins will be lost.

Example: you have the BTC and ETH app installed. But you want to manage NEO; you uninstall the ETH app, install the NEO and do what you want. Later, you can uninstall the NEO and install the ETH again. Every coin will be safe, and you just have to install the app again to see and spend them.

[very_452001]

Hey,

I can answer most of them:

- Are my Coins still safe and are straight away viewable when seeing balances when connecting or have they been affected in anyway by Forks or Coin Swaps that I have missed out on?
Your coins are still safe and viewable. I don't think Ledger has supported any forks in the past year. I don't think they support swaps either since it is a cold storage.

- How can I be sure for safety once I connect my ledger to my computer making it hot (connect to internet & computer electricity) from a long period of cold?
Not sure what you mean by this but you'll be safe as long as you use their official software (or use Electrum) to connect with your Ledger.

- Will not using the ledger hardware for long periods of time degrades the hardware components inside similar to a battery?
I don't think the Ledger contains a battery so I doubt it will degrade in any way.

- Does Ledger still use the Chrome apps for its software? If not is it safe to delete those chrome apps?
They have switched to 'Ledger Live', which is downloadable on their website.

- Can I use the old firmware ledger to connect with the new ledger live independent executable software or am I limited to the chrome app 1st if ledger still support chrome app add ons.
I'm pretty sure old firmware will still work, although upgrading is highly advised (due to security reasons).

- At what stages do I require to re-enter my 24 recovery seed? What advice is given if a user is not sure on his/her 24 recovery seed?
You only need to use your seed if you do need to recover your wallet. You can always use your seed on a new Ledger to make a backup of your current wallet.

- I understand ledger supports more than 1100 different coins however what does it mean if a coin doesn't have ledger live support? Also can I choose which of the 1100 types of altcoins I can view on the leger screen?
Most of those are ERC20 tokens.

- Will the new ledger live software or new firmware reset anything from my old settings and if so what are resetted? Pins? Viewable currency settings etc?
Upgrading firmware will never reset your PIN since that would be a huge security flaw.

- I remember on Chrome App it allowed to choose which chain for a coin. Does the new live ledger software still have this?
Yes.

- Lastly what are the new features in the latest hardware firmware and does updating to new firmware delete and resets everything and requires 24 recovery seed?
You can find all change logs on the Ledger website. Updating firmware does not delete/reset anything.

You sure and confirm that the 24 recovery seed won't be asked for during firmware update?

[LeGaulois]

@very-numbers

Yes. As far as I remember I have never been asked to enter my 24 words seed to update/upgrade anything. And I don't see why it would need it.
People pretty well explained what you need, update first. And the HW components are still perfect even after years of inactivity ofc, it's not a cheap device made with Lidl components

[very_452001]

I still use the old Chrome apps on my Ledger Nano S, but many functions on the old software are broken like coin price (at least for me), and you're best off just switching over to Live. If you're trying to update your Nano S from an old version of the firmware, you'll need to first update to 1.4.2 before going to 1.5.5 as the support site for Ledger says here (click for link).

If you're trying to access ERC20 tokens on your Ledger, MyEtherWallet allows you to connect your Ledger Nano S to their web interface where you can send and receive ERC20 tokens securely. Click here for the link on the MEW site where you can do this.

Im on firmware 1.3.1 so how will this work?

[bob123]

You sure and confirm that the 24 recovery seed won't be asked for during firmware update?

No. Noone can confirm this for you.

If the update works as expected, no issues -> You don't have to reenter it.
However, if something fails, you will need to reenter your mnemonic code again.

You should NOT attempt to do an upgrade without having the 24 words. If you are not sure whether the words you have are the correct one, boot a live linux syste via USB on an disconnected computer (no internet) and check whether the words 1) are valid and 2) generate your addresses.

Im on firmware 1.3.1 so how will this work?

Simply start ledger live, and do the firmware upgrade. It will handle everything itself.

[Pmalek]

Im on firmware 1.3.1 so how will this work?

Connect your device, unlock it with your PIN and click on the Manager button from the main menu.
After that you will see a button where you can click on Update.

Here is a step-by-step walk through.
https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002731113-Update-device-firmware

You really need to take care of that problem you have with your seed. Don't avoid it! Even if Ledger doesn't ask for the seed words during the update process sometimes in the future the device might malfunction and you will have to reset it with your seed word. How are you going to do that without the correct words?

[Lucius]

bob123&Pmalek, are you sure that OP can update firmware from 1.3.1 direct to 1.5.5? Ledger is say that even users with 1.4.1 need first to update to 1.4.2, so OP could have problems with such old version, especially if he is using Windows 7.

However, by the experience of these users they manage to update to latest firmware from old 1.3.1, but it lasted a little longer than usual.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/amix58/updating_nano_s_from_131_to_155/

[bob123]

bob123&Pmalek, are you sure that OP can update firmware from 1.3.1 direct to 1.5.5? Ledger is say that even users with 1.4.1 need first to update to 1.4.2

[...]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/amix58/updating_nano_s_from_131_to_155/

The top reply in the reddit post you linked is from the CTO of ledger, stating:

You can update directly from 1.3.1 to 1.5.5

My assumption is, that if you update your nano s via the ledger manager from 1.3.1, it automatically first updates to the needed version, before finally updating to 1.5.5. Like incremental updates.

Ledger live manager should handle the firmware updates automatically, so no user intervention (regarding firmware updates) should be necessary.
Just plugging in and updating firmware.

[very_452001]

Ok can I download and use Recovery Check App on old firmware 1.3.1 before I update firmware just to make sure?

[bob123]

Ok can I download and use Recovery Check App on old firmware 1.3.1 before I update firmware just to make sure?

Unfortunately i don't know whether it works with 1.3.1.
But you could simply try it out. Open the ledger manager and browse the available Apps, search for 'recovery check'.

If it doesn't work (e.g. because the app is not available for your firmware version), you could download the site https://iancoleman.io/bip39/, then burn a live linux ISO on a bootable USB, boot from the USB and enter your seed into the downloaded site.
Then check whether the address produced matches with yours from ledger live.


The first option (recovery check app) is obviously easier. But definitely make sure you have the correct backup of your seed before proceeding with updating the firmware.

[very_452001]

I can't see the recovery check app on the live manager.

bob123&Pmalek, are you sure that OP can update firmware from 1.3.1 direct to 1.5.5? Ledger is say that even users with 1.4.1 need first to update to 1.4.2, so OP could have problems with such old version, especially if he is using Windows 7.

However, by the experience of these users they manage to update to latest firmware from old 1.3.1, but it lasted a little longer than usual.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/amix58/updating_nano_s_from_131_to_155/

What are the known problems with windows 7?

Ok can I download and use Recovery Check App on old firmware 1.3.1 before I update firmware just to make sure?

Unfortunately i don't know whether it works with 1.3.1.
But you could simply try it out. Open the ledger manager and browse the available Apps, search for 'recovery check'.

If it doesn't work (e.g. because the app is not available for your firmware version), you could download the site https://iancoleman.io/bip39/, then burn a live linux ISO on a bootable USB, boot from the USB and enter your seed into the downloaded site.
Then check whether the address produced matches with yours from ledger live.


The first option (recovery check app) is obviously easier. But definitely make sure you have the correct backup of your seed before proceeding with updating the firmware.

Is there a video or guide doing that bootable USB method? Entering my 24 seed onto a site is not safe right?


[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]

[Lucius]

What are the known problems with windows 7?

Officially Ledger is not support Windows 7 : Compatibility "64-bits desktop computer (Windows 8+, macOS 10.8+, Linux), excluding ARM Processors, or smartphone Android 7+. You will need an OTG kit to connect your Nano S to your desktop or smartphone."

In time when Ledger release new firmware and users update from 1.3.1, some users have problems with update process on Windows 7, it was mostly a problem with the drivers. I also have problems with Ledger Live after upgrade to 1.5.5, it just crash every time on my Windows 7 - but I did not try latest version of Ledger Live. It is possible that you would not have the same problems as me even if you use Windows 7.

Is there a video or guide doing that bootable USB method? Entering my 24 seed onto a site is not safe right?

If you are sure that your PC is clean from viruses / malware, then just download that tool to your PC and run it offline. But you should know that only correct and safe way is to enter seed on Ledger Nano S, everything else poses a risk. So if you want check correctness of seed safest method would be to download some desktop wallet and to send all coins to that wallet. After that just enter your PIN three times in a row wrong, and Nano S will reset.

Choose the option you are most comfortable with, and do this only if you are not 100% sure that you have correct seed.

Regarding bootable USB : How to Create a Bootable Linux USB Flash Drive, the Easy Way

[very_452001]

What are the known problems with windows 7?

Officially Ledger is not support Windows 7 : Compatibility "64-bits desktop computer (Windows 8+, macOS 10.8+, Linux), excluding ARM Processors, or smartphone Android 7+. You will need an OTG kit to connect your Nano S to your desktop or smartphone."

In time when Ledger release new firmware and users update from 1.3.1, some users have problems with update process on Windows 7, it was mostly a problem with the drivers. I also have problems with Ledger Live after upgrade to 1.5.5, it just crash every time on my Windows 7 - but I did not try latest version of Ledger Live. It is possible that you would not have the same problems as me even if you use Windows 7.

Is there a video or guide doing that bootable USB method? Entering my 24 seed onto a site is not safe right?

If you are sure that your PC is clean from viruses / malware, then just download that tool to your PC and run it offline. But you should know that only correct and safe way is to enter seed on Ledger Nano S, everything else poses a risk. So if you want check correctness of seed safest method would be to download some desktop wallet and to send all coins to that wallet. After that just enter your PIN three times in a row wrong, and Nano S will reset.

Choose the option you are most comfortable with, and do this only if you are not 100% sure that you have correct seed.

Regarding bootable USB : How to Create a Bootable Linux USB Flash Drive, the Easy Way

Ok what about windows 7 64bit and can anyone confirm latest version of ledger live fixed windows 7 problems?

[Pmalek]

Ok what about windows 7 64bit and can anyone confirm latest version of ledger live fixed windows 7 problems?

Officially, you still need at least Windows 8 64 bit to run Ledger Live properly. Nothing seems to have changed.

Prerequisites
A computer with at least macOS 10.9, Windows 8 (64-bit) or Linux Ubuntu 16.10 (64-bit).

https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006395553-Download-and-install-Ledger-Live