wallet.dat and co

[Dydy94]

hello the big family of crypto assets.

So I have an old wallet that I can't get into bitcoin core. there must be an amount on it dated 2014.

Can you give me the path to the known issue which is therefore "either corrupt or goes beyond pruned data"
Help me please !!

please concrete help.

[1714916967]

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[ranochigo]

Ah thank you finally I understand a little better what is said. It is not very clear all these messages, and in numbers.
Please. Can you tell me if "pruning the block storage space to 1 GB" is enough for the entire blockchain? I think not
Or for the other method; Is there software or a command to use? how to extract this key? And sent it to another wallet?
Thanks.

The blockchain is currently over 300GB. You will have to resynchronize eitherways. You have to do a full download of the Blockchain for the client to be able to know the transactions that is relevant to your wallet addresses.

Unless you know exactly which addresses contains Bitcoins, it would be quite a daunting task to locate the keys that you want. You can use dumpwallet to extract all the keys but you'll need quite some time to filter through the hundred over addresses.

[CryptoSh1va]

Or do you know how to import to electrum?
Please...

In the Bitcoin Core console, you export the private key, then import it in Electrum...
Pm me, I'll send you a telegram and explain more about console commands.

[mocacinno]

Ok, but does the blockchain have to be downloaded anyway?   

No,
you can export your private keys from your wallet without downloading the complete blockchain.
 
If you want to keep on using bitcoin core, you'll have to re-download complete blockchain, since you seem to be running a pruned node.
If you decide to move to an SPV wallet (like electrum), you can export the private keys without downloading the complete blockchain, import them into the SPV wallet and ONLY download the block headers (<100 Mb last time i checked).

[ranochigo]

Ah. Very good !! Looks like I need to download some MB of ...?  Blockchain electrum?
Is this it? 
I have never exported to electrum.
Would you have the path for electrum please?

Block header, which is a small part of the data of Bitcoin blocks.

The website for Electrum is electrum.org, do note to verify the authenticity of the download before running it. Follow the guides given by ETFbitcoin to export your addresses. I assume you know which of the addresses have the funds?

[ranochigo]

Actually no, I don't know which key my bitcoins contain. It's a very old file and I'm looking but can't find how to import it (the .dat file) into electrum.
I read the guides but it's not for me ....
I believe I should be using bitcoin core ?? The best: and maybe the only solution ??

Yes. It'll be the best for you to go ahead and synchronize your Bitcoin Core again. It's quite tedious to export all the keys and import into Electrum manually. Using Bitcoin Core is the only way for you to guarantee that you get all the Bitcoins in the wallet.

[Btcspot]

 Hi i think i can help you with it DyDy. You can contact me here: coolgamesman1@gmail.com and i can help you with export to electrum.

[mocacinno]

Also last problem:
A wallet.dat file, which is not marked in Open Wallet. Is there a way to open it.
-Without software?
-Or with a tool like pywallet, although I believe pywallet is not fully operational to recover?
-Or if?
I am grateful to you ...  

I find it kind of hard to understand what you're saying here... "A wallet.dat file, which is not marked in Open Wallet".

I don't really use bitcoin qt (the gui application). I usually stick with bitcoind, but if memory serves me correct, there is no menu to open wallets in the gui (like i said, i haven't opened the gui in a long time).
If you run a "default" installation, you just have to make sure you put the wallet.dat you want to open in the default data directory of your operating system and start the gui.... That's all...


The default directory: https://en.bitcoinwiki.org/wiki/Data_directory#Default_Location

BTW... If there  is already an existing wallet.dat, it's wise not to overwrite the existing wallet.dat, but rename the existing wallet.dat before you place the wallet you want to open in the directory... Never delete wallet.dat's, rename them (and make backups on a safe medium)

There are ways to open the gui using a different wallet file, or a different default data directory, but i'd rather not point you into that direction, since it'll only lead to confusion.

[ranochigo]

I don't really use bitcoin qt (the gui application). I usually stick with bitcoind, but if memory serves me correct, there is no menu to open wallets in the gui (like i said, i haven't opened the gui in a long time).
If you run a "default" installation, you just have to make sure you put the wallet.dat you want to open in the default data directory of your operating system and start the gui.... That's all...

I believe he is referring to the Open Wallet option in the file tab at the top. It allows the user to choose between the wallets within the data directory itself.

OP, as long as the wallet.dat is put into the data directory correctly, there is no reason why you would need to touch the Open Wallet dropdown box.

[mocacinno]

Like when they say to replace the base wallet.dat with the old wallet.dat which would be supposed to contain bitcoins.
But we don't open it with "file => open the wallet"

 

I'm assuming you use windows.

By default, Bitcoin core is going to open the file wallet.dat in the default data directory. You don't need to do anything special, you don't need to use a menu. The only thing you have to do is open windows explorer, browse to said data directory and make sure the file called wallet.dat in said data directory is the wallet you want to open. AFTERWARDS, start bitcoin's gui

so, basically

open the directory described here:
https://en.bitcoinwiki.org/wiki/Data_directory#Default_Location
using windows explorer.

Find the file wallet.dat, rename it to wallet.dat.old

Copy your wallet.dat (the one containing the private keys for the funded addresses) to said directory

open bitcoin's gui

wait...

you don't actually need to wait untill the synchronisation is completed... You can export your keys straight away and import them (in bulk) to (for example) electrum

if something goes wrong, you can find the file debug.log in the default data directoy... You can upload it and show it to us, it doesn't contain data that makes you vulnerable to attack (altough it can contain data that decreases your privacy)

[nc50lc]

Ok thank you for that but the real problem is that every time I change "wallet.dat" I am told either corrupted or node goes beyond pruned data ...
 And I have no solutions for that ...  

You have to disable pruning if you need to replace the wallet.dat often.
Having an old wallet.dat is another problem with a pruned node w/ huge set size since the oldest blocks where your UTXO(s) might be are the first to be pruned.

If you're willing to save 300GB of data to your disk to 'fix' that "beyond pruned data" issue,
then disable pruning in Settings->Options->Uncheck "Prune block storage to".
Or if you've set it in your bitcoin.conf file, remove it.

[nc50lc]

Just one last thing.
The wallet.dat file is corrupted. Do you have a solution ??

Try to run Bitcoin core with --salvagewallet argument.
If you're using Windows, you can create a shortcut and add that at the end of the target, example:

Code:

"C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin-qt.exe" --salvagewallet

or run a command prompt, start bitcoin-qt with that arg.

It can only recover the wallet if the master key/keys aren't affected, not if it's beyond repair.

[mocacinno]

Just one last thing.
The wallet.dat file is corrupted. Do you have a solution ??

Only perform the following steps on a COPY of your wallet.dat. I repeat, do NOT execute these steps on the original wallet.dat file!!!

1) use the option salvagewallet (like nc50lc already posted)
source: bitcoind -help

Code:

-salvagewallet
       Attempt to recover private keys from a corrupt wallet on startup

Basically, you already went trough the steps of adding a -reindex option... -salvagewallet is an other option, you can add it in a similar way as you added the -reindex option

2) download pywallet from a TRUSTED repo... You'll need to install the dependency's aswell
python pywallet.py –dumpwallet > wallet.text
OR
python pywallet.py –dumpwallet > wallet.text --passphrase=PASSPHRASE

3) bitcoinj's wallettool... You'll need to install the dependency's aswell
github.com/bitcoinj/bitcoinj#building-and-using-the-wallet-tool

[mocacinno]

I only have one windows machine, and it's locked down. Privately i only use linux so i have a hard time following what you're saying here?

Is this your issue? => https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/95169/pycrypto-or-libssl-not-found-decryption-may-be-slow
The link also contains the answer to your question...

[mocacinno]

Well.
I have successfully imported the wallet with the --salvagewallet option.
The bitcoin core client works but shows nothing.
It must be that the date of the wallet is after the blockchain on my pc?

My best guess would be that the wallet is still syncing... Your balance will only show up once the block(s) containing the transactions funding the addresses managed by your wallet are downloaded.
This has nothing to do with the date on your os.

If you don't want to wait (or fill your disk, or burn your isp's bandwith), you can now just export all private keys and import them into an SPV wallet like electrum.

[mocacinno]

Okay.
Do you have the method to send private keys to SPV electrum please.  
Or is the simple solution asking me to wait a bit?
Yes that's it.  
Without you I would never have made it.
I will get back to you very quickly.
You are a great community!  

1) export the private keys
2) download electrum from electrum.org
3) check electrum's signature (the binary HAS to be signed by ThomasV)
4) when you open electrum, a wizard should appear guiding you trough the process of making a wallet.
4.a) pick a name for your wallet (next)
4.b) chose the option "import Bitcoin addresses or private keys" (next)
4.c) paste the private keys you exported from bitcoin core (next)
4.d) chose a STRONG password (repeat) (next)
4.e) REMOVE the unencrypted file you used to store the exported private keys
4.f) wait a couple of minutes... Electrum will download the block headers... It should take only a couple of minutes tough. But if you exported a long list of private keys, it can take a while... Electrum has to communicate with electrum's nodes and ask for a list of unspent outputs funding each address.

PS.1) Ideally, there is also a fifth step: You have manipulated your wallet.dat quite a bit. You have exported private keys. You have stored your wallet on other media... It's a good idear to make a new, CLEAN wallet, and move all your funds from the wallet containing the imported private keys to a brand new, freshly generated wallet... When creating a new wallet, write down the seed phrase, never store it digitally, but make sure you have a physical, offline copy of said phrase. Don't show the phrase to anybody else, it's private!

PS.2) If you have more than a couple hundred bucks worth of BTC, i'd suggest buying a hardware wallet (ledger and trezor are the most popular brands). If not: learn to make paper wallets in a proper way (completely offline + using the right tools). If not: make an airgapped setup using bitcoin core or electrum using a dedicated pc or a Tails OS usbstick

PS.3) if you opt for a paper wallet or an airgapped setup, do the steps with testnet coins first... Make sure you know how to generate a paper wallet or airgapped setup on the testnet, fund your wallet with testnet BTC, create a transaction spending your funds on the testnet... Only when you are 100% certain about the procedure continue on the main net!

PS.4) It's an old wallet, bitcoin forked quite a bit after unspent outputs funding your addresses were stored on the blockchain. The private keys for these addresses can also be used on several other blockchains to claim a lot of forked coins!!! AFTER you moved all your BTC to a new wallet, you should look into this. BCH/BSV/... are worth considerably less than BTC, but it might still be a good idear to claim and sell them

[HCP]

- Type the following command to export the key: dumpprivkey (Bitcoin address)

dumpprivkey is a very "slow" way to export multiple private keys... If you have a large number of private keys to export, using dumpwallet is a faster option

The full command is:

Code:

dumpwallet path\to\output\file

For example, on Windows... to output to a file called "Keys.txt" on your D: drive in a folder called "walletdump", you would use:

Code:

dumpwallet D:\walletdump\Keys.txt

[Marynarz]

How can a full node of a blockchain be quickly retrieved? I don't want to wait for bitcoin-core sync to complete.

[HCP]

How can a full node of a blockchain be quickly retrieved? I don't want to wait for bitcoin-core sync to complete.

Unless you have a fully synced copy of it already available on a another trusted machine, the "fastest" way to sync it is to just let Bitcoin Core sync "naturally"... There are other tips, like use an SSD to store the blockchain/chainstate data, if you have a lot of RAM set the "dbcache" value to at least half your total RAM size etc.

Yes, it takes hours/days, but there really isn't any way to avoid it.

[HCP]

I run Qt with salvagewallet.
It opens the client and then closes almost automatically. An idea and answer to the problem?

You'll need to have a look in the debug.log file in the Bitcoin Core "Datadir" and see what error is being logged when it shuts down... without knowing that error, no one will be able to tell you why it is doing what it is doing, nor how to fix it.