complete beginner - i'm so lost - armory connection/go online help?

[gstamsons]

I realize this is probably like 10000 other posts in the forums, but I've read and tried to understand and just don't get what I need to do...

I had put funds in an armory wallet, but now cannot get armory to connect and switch from offline to online. I looked at the help topic on pathing and have read forum stuff, but it's like a completely foreign language to me. My eyes glaze over and I'm totally lost. I don't know how to change the directory internally or anything like that. I did figure out how to go in the settings and I rerouted the bitcoin home dir to the right place and left the other two blank like another post said, but it still just says "preparing databases" and I have no "transactions" tab. So something isn't pointing to the right place I'm sure, but I don't know how the heck to figure it out and get it fixed. It's beyond me. Can anyone provide some moderate hand-holding? Other people are pasting bin logs or something, and I don't even know how to do that. But the owner of the bitcoin is hounding me to get in this wallet and get the fund so he can send them somewhere else, but the dang thing won't connect! I downloaded bitcoin core and did the forever 320GB wait and that's up and running fine. That completed.

So I don't know where I'm going wrong, but just cannot get armory to go online.

Any help/hand-holding appreciated very much.

Thanks,
G

[goatpig]

Start Armory, grab log files from the Files -> Export logs menu. This just a text file, open it and copy paste the content in pastebin.org. This will generate a link, post it here.

[gstamsons]

Okay, thank you. That was easier than I expected. I believe this will show what I've read elsewhere, that it's trying to point to the appdata folders and i have everything on an external hard drive...so I need to reroute them to point/pull from the correct folders. But the post on Armory re: pathing was like hieroglyphics to me.

I hope this is the link: https://pastebin.com/C0jRWk4S

Thanks for the help, goatpig!

[goatpig]

Code:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "ArmoryQt.py", line 1857, in startBitcoindIfNecessary
  File "SDM.pyc", line 190, in setupSDM
BitcoindError: bitcoind not found

It's trying to automate the bitcoin process but can't find it. I'm guessing the binary is on your external drive too. I suggest you start Bitcoin-Qt manually and just let it run, then start Armory and report here.

[gstamsons]

Okay. I open bitcoin-qt, and it did the whole 320GB blockchain take forever thing, and now it's loaded and says I can send or receive, and has a transactions button, so I think it's up and running.

Then I open Armory and just get the same "preparing databases." If never progresses from there. Under File > Settings > Bitcoin Home Dir: I have it pointed to the folder with the bitcoin-qt executable. Is that wrong?

[bob123]

Under File > Settings > Bitcoin Home Dir: I have it pointed to the folder with the bitcoin-qt executable. Is that wrong?

The Home directory is where the data is stored.

By default, this is:

Code:

C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin

Obviously, this is different if you have chosen a different home directory when installing core.


If it still doesn't work, delete the logs, start armory and upload the logs again.

[gstamsons]

Under File > Settings > Bitcoin Home Dir: I have it pointed to the folder with the bitcoin-qt executable. Is that wrong?
The Home directory is where the data is stored.

Okay, so if that's the folder all the bitcoin stuff is in, is that the right place? Or do I need to change it to say something else? That's the folder with the bitcoin-qt and such. There's another folder on the drive called Bitcoin Core which has folders for blocks, chainstate, and database. Should it be pointing at that one instead?

Obviously, this is different if you have chosen a different home directory when installing core.

If it still doesn't work, delete the logs, start armory and upload the logs again.

How do I delete the logs? :/

[bob123]

Okay, so if that's the folder all the bitcoin stuff is in, is that the right place? Or do I need to change it to say something else? That's the folder with the bitcoin-qt and such. There's another folder on the drive called Bitcoin Core which has folders for blocks, chainstate, and database. Should it be pointing at that one instead?

The "Home directory" from the armory settings has to point at the data directory containing the blocks, database and chainstate folder.
The "Install directory" from the armory settings has to point at the folder containing the executable.

How do I delete the logs? :/

The log files are stored in:

Code:

C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\Armory

and are called armorylog.txt and dblog.txt

[gstamsons]

Okay, you've been/are being very helpful. Thank you for the hand-holding through this.

Okay, so I changed Bitcoin Home Dir: to point at the folder with the blocks, chainstate, database folders, etc.
I changed the Bitcoin Install Dir: to point at the point with the bitcoin-qt executable. Is that right? Or I want it to point at the Armory executable?

I found the two log files in question and deleted them.

Yes! I have a node status now, and a greyed out transactions tab! This is progress.

Do you know how long the Armory build databases and scanning transaction history usually takes? They are green and there's a cd with some green, but they are just sitting. Should this take an hour? All day? A Week? Thanks!

[gstamsons]

I let it go overnight and did some more reading and stopped and started things again. I've gone a step further than before but it's still on "build databases" greyed out and then nothing on "scanning transaction history." So is it rebuilding the 320GB blockchain? I have it pointed where the chain was downloaded originally... I'm so confused.

Here's my log: https://pastebin.com/QDa8Uss9

[bob123]

I changed the Bitcoin Install Dir: to point at the point with the bitcoin-qt executable. Is that right? Or I want it to point at the Armory executable?

Pointing it towards where the bitcoin core executable is, is correct.

Do you know how long the Armory build databases and scanning transaction history usually takes?

It shouldn't take that long. Definitely not days.

I let it go overnight and did some more reading and stopped and started things again. I've gone a step further than before but it's still on "build databases" greyed out and then nothing on "scanning transaction history." So is it rebuilding the 320GB blockchain? I have it pointed where the chain was downloaded originally... I'm so confused.

Here's my log: https://pastebin.com/QDa8Uss9

Just to make sure, the blockchain data from core is stored at: E:\Bitcoin Core\blocks\
Is that correct?

I am not exactly sure what the problem is, but can you confirm that core is up running and fully synced when opening armory?
To me, it seems like core isn't fully synced yet or armory somehow can't access core's data.

[gstamsons]

Pointing it towards where the bitcoin core executable is, is correct.

At least I got one thing right...

Just to make sure, the blockchain data from core is stored at: E:\Bitcoin Core\blocks\
Is that correct?

That's what I show, yes. That's the folder and it has a bunch of stuff in it...

I am not exactly sure what the problem is, but can you confirm that core is up running and fully synced when opening armory?
To me, it seems like core isn't fully synced yet or armory somehow can't access core's data.

So maybe there's something here that I'm not understanding... I don't know. I can open bitcoin-qt and it loads up and then shows me send and receive and appears to be synced...

But then Armory is just sitting here...

I have screenshots I could attach but I guess I'm not high enough rank yet :/

[gstamsons]

so do i just make nonsense posts until i get to 10? >.>

[gstamsons]

9

[bob123]

I have screenshots I could attach but I guess I'm not high enough rank yet :/

Feel free to create screenshots of the armory settings and/or core and upload them to any image sharing platform (e.g. imgur.com).

It the folder (E:\Bitcoin Core\blocks) has 300+ GB in it and core starts fine and is synced, i unfortunately don't know what the problem might be.
You'd need to wait for goatpig, he is the one who able to solve your problem.


You didn't change any default settings in core (e.g. by creating or modifying config files), did you?

[gstamsons]

No, I wouldn't know the first thing about changing config files, that's part of why I've been asking for the hand-holding. This stuff is all way over my head.

Here are the photos I have:

Looks like Bitcoin-qt is synced and up. And Armory is just sitting :/

https://imgur.com/a/ZBll8HL

[bob123]

Core indeed seems to be synced.

Can you try to shut down both armory and core, and then start core first yourself (don't let armory start it) and wait a little bit, then start armory?
Sometimes armory has some problems starting up core.

Also, can you verify that you still have space on your hard drive left?

[gstamsons]

okay I did a full reboot. and then booted bitcoin-qt first, waited for it to be synced, and then opened armory. Now at the bottom it says "Node Offline (0 Blocks)," instead of just offline like it was saying before...

The drive has 1 TB of space, so yeah it still has room. Thanks for your continuing help on this.

[bob123]

Now at the bottom it says "Node Offline (0 Blocks)," instead of just offline like it was saying before...

This means armory somehow has no connection to core or core is not synced.

Can you verify that the data directory setting in core is set to:

Code:

E:\Bitcoin Core\

If so, you might want to try to:

• Start core and make sure its synced.
• Delete the folder: C:\Users\grigo\AppData\Roaming\Armory\
• Start Armory

[gstamsons]

This means armory somehow has no connection to core or core is not synced.

Can you verify that the data directory setting in core is set to:

Code:

E:\Bitcoin Core\

I think so? https://imgur.com/a/otyiV2g

Or do I verify it some other way?