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Author Topic: Only got the old wallets address, possible to use it?  (Read 472 times)
highfarmer (OP)
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November 22, 2020, 05:11:49 PM
 #1

Hello!

I got a question. Is it possible to find the private key and the things that needed to import an old wallet stored on an old computer? This wallet.dat-file is open in the application on the computer and the app is Bitcoin QT. Since the wallet is unsynced with the network is trying to complete the sync, but extremely slow, the wallet must be open, right?
I mean it should be possible to get to know the private key somehow?

The only thing we know is the wallets address.
We have been trying to use some commands in console with the wallet address input:ed but only get error "-32601" and "-5". Guess we need to put something other than the wallets adress in there?

What should we looking for, or is there nothing more to do?
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November 22, 2020, 05:18:42 PM
Merited by LoyceV (4), vapourminer (1)
 #2

Yes. You can extract the keys out of the client, caveat being that you'll have to be sure of the addresses that contains the coins.

Firstly, go make sure you get a backup of your wallet.dat and keep it safe, do not share with anyone.

Download the latest version of Bitcoin Core (optional and it should work with older versions as well), install it and run the client. If you're sure of the addresses that contains the coins, then follow the steps below:
1. Go to Window>Console.
2. Key in the command if you have password protected your wallet.dat. Otherwise, go to step 3.
Code:
walletpassphrase PASSWORD 600
3. Key in the following, replace the address accordingly:
Code:
 dumpprivkey 1ADDRESS
4. You should get a WIF private key, keep it safe first and export all the necessary addresses.

Download Electrum, validate it using PGP and it's signature and you can create a wallet to import the addresses.

.
.HUGE.
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November 22, 2020, 05:20:00 PM
Merited by vapourminer (1), ranochigo (1)
 #3

I mean it should be possible to get to know the private key somehow?

The only thing we know is the wallets address.


Use this:
Code:
dumpprivkey YOUR_ADDRESS

Your wallet has to be unlocked.


To import it into another wallet (e.g. electrum), make sure to use the corresponding prefix when entering your private key, depending on the address:
If the address starts with 1..: p2pkh:XXXX
If the address starts with 3..: p2wpkh-p2sh:XXXX
If the address starts with bc1..: p2wpkh:XXXX



Edit: Seems ranochigo was faster  Cheesy


highfarmer (OP)
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November 22, 2020, 06:33:16 PM
 #4

First, thank you for answers.
Is it correct that all we need is the address of the wallet and a private key? No more keys than that are necessary to import it in a new online wallet?







I mean it should be possible to get to know the private key somehow?

The only thing we know is the wallets address.


Use this:
Code:
dumpprivkey YOUR_ADDRESS

Your wallet has to be unlocked.


To import it into another wallet (e.g. electrum), make sure to use the corresponding prefix when entering your private key, depending on the address:
If the address starts with 1..: p2pkh:XXXX
If the address starts with 3..: p2wpkh-p2sh:XXXX
If the address starts with bc1..: p2wpkh:XXXX



Edit: Seems ranochigo was faster  Cheesy



We tried to use dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET but got the "invalid code-5" as a response. Maybe we did something wrong?









Yes. You can extract the keys out of the client, caveat being that you'll have to be sure of the addresses that contains the coins.

Firstly, go make sure you get a backup of your wallet.dat and keep it safe, do not share with anyone.

Download the latest version of Bitcoin Core (optional and it should work with older versions as well), install it and run the client. If you're sure of the addresses that contains the coins, then follow the steps below:
1. Go to Window>Console.
2. Key in the command if you have password protected your wallet.dat. Otherwise, go to step 3.
Code:
walletpassphrase PASSWORD 600
3. Key in the following, replace the address accordingly:
Code:
 dumpprivkey 1ADDRESS
4. You should get a WIF private key, keep it safe first and export all the necessary addresses.

Download Electrum, validate it using PGP and it's signature and you can create a wallet to import the addresses.

So I should install it on the old computer? It´s very unupdated I think. Or is it good enough to install in on a modern day computer and import the dat-file from an USB?

If I copy it to a new computer its nothing that will kind of throw me out or something from the old computers? (I mean the wallet is open now, don't want to suddenly be outside).

And, "1ADDRESS" is that the adress of the wallet?
ranochigo
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November 22, 2020, 07:09:33 PM
 #5

First, thank you for answers.
Is it correct that all we need is the address of the wallet and a private key? No more keys than that are necessary to import it in a new online wallet?
You probably only need the private key, everything else can be derived from that.


So I should install it on the old computer? It´s very unupdated I think. Or is it good enough to install in on a modern day computer and import the dat-file from an USB?
Either will work. Bitcoin Core isn't super resource intensive unless you want to synchronize it.
If I copy it to a new computer its nothing that will kind of throw me out or something from the old computers? (I mean the wallet is open now, don't want to suddenly be outside).

And, "1ADDRESS" is that the adress of the wallet?
As long as your wallet.dat is backed up, you won't lose your coins. Make sure you know the passphrase as well.

Yes it is.

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.HUGE.
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hosseinimr93
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November 22, 2020, 07:27:24 PM
Merited by vapourminer (1)
 #6

We tried to use dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET but got the "invalid code-5" as a response. Maybe we did something wrong?
Do you mean "Invalid Bitcoin address (code -5)"?
If so, what you entered is not a valid bitcoin address.
That may be an altcoin's address. If that's a bitcoin address, it must start with 1, 3 or bc1. Otherwise, it's not a bitcoin address.

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highfarmer (OP)
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November 22, 2020, 08:48:28 PM
 #7

First, thank you for answers.
Is it correct that all we need is the address of the wallet and a private key? No more keys than that are necessary to import it in a new online wallet?
You probably only need the private key, everything else can be derived from that.


So I should install it on the old computer? It´s very unupdated I think. Or is it good enough to install in on a modern day computer and import the dat-file from an USB?
Either will work. Bitcoin Core isn't super resource intensive unless you want to synchronize it.
If I copy it to a new computer its nothing that will kind of throw me out or something from the old computers? (I mean the wallet is open now, don't want to suddenly be outside).

And, "1ADDRESS" is that the adress of the wallet?
As long as your wallet.dat is backed up, you won't lose your coins. Make sure you know the passphrase as well.

Yes it is.

Hmm, oh, the passphrase might be the big problem. The thing is that he, the ones this is all about, don't remember if he even had a passphrase. However, he know that he don't remember it. But since the application is synchronizing it means that no passphrase should be needed, right? Really hope so, otherwise I guess its hopeless?




We tried to use dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET but got the "invalid code-5" as a response. Maybe we did something wrong?
Do you mean "Invalid Bitcoin address (code -5)"?
If so, what you entered is not a valid bitcoin address.
That may be an altcoin's address. If that's a bitcoin address, it must start with 1, 3 or bc1. Otherwise, it's not a bitcoin address.

Oh, I will get back about that! I don't remember what it said. Will continue tomorrow.



Thank you for your help so far!
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November 22, 2020, 08:54:43 PM
 #8


We tried to use dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET but got the "invalid code-5" as a response. Maybe we did something wrong?


Are you sure that you are in the debug console when using this command? Or you might be using Bitcoin-CLI?

Can you try to add a double quote in your address as a sample command below.

Code:
dumpprivkey "1Fkgkjrmybitcoinaddress"

Make sure no extra spaces.

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November 23, 2020, 02:53:18 AM
Merited by vapourminer (1)
 #9

Hmm, oh, the passphrase might be the big problem. The thing is that he, the ones this is all about, don't remember if he even had a passphrase. However, he know that he don't remember it. But since the application is synchronizing it means that no passphrase should be needed, right? Really hope so, otherwise I guess its hopeless?
If the error you're getting is what hosseinimr93 has said (quote below),
Then there should be no passphrase set because you'll get Error: Please enter the wallet passphrase with walletpassphrase first. (code -13)
with dumpprivkey whether the address is correct or not.

We tried to use dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET but got the "invalid code-5" as a response. Maybe we did something wrong?
Do you mean "Invalid Bitcoin address (code -5)"?
-snip-

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November 23, 2020, 04:55:53 PM
 #10

Ok!

We got the privatekey after using dumpprivkey THE_ADRESS_OF_THE_WALLET
So now we have the address of the wallet and the privatekey (I guess?), is that the only thing we need?

What would you say would be the best option now, import the dat.fil to a new pc and continue the sync from there first and then send the whole thing to a secure wallet of any kind or directly swipe it to a new wallet without continue the sync-process first? Because that it possible, right?

Any dangerous high-risks we should avoid?
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November 23, 2020, 08:59:12 PM
Last edit: November 23, 2020, 09:18:59 PM by 20kevin20
 #11

Well, as long as you're moving the ".dat" file from one PC to another, I'd have to guess you're using an USB stick. That is a high risk: your USB stick or computer may be infected and the ".dat" file may move not only from one PC to another but also to some unknown malicious party's device. If I were you, I would just create a brand new wallet on the new PC and transfer the old balance to your new wallet.

Try to avoid moving files from one PC to another as USB sticks are a potential risk. Also, if you're using Bitcoin Core as your new wallet, I would personally wait for it to sync completely before sweeping the wallet - but I don't think there is any particular issue if you'd import it before the full sync, besides the fact that your wallet's balance will not be up-to-date. If you're using Electrum in light SPV mode, the synchronization takes literally a few seconds and it doesn't matter if you import/sweep it before/after the sync.

Edit: also, try to write the private key on a piece of paper and never store it on online storage or text files. Move your private key around as least often as you can. Google Drive, Gmail or ProtonMail are not safe ways to store your key. I usually write it down on a piece of paper multiple times, verify one of the lines I've written character by character to make sure I wrote the right thing and then just get rid of the electronically-saved one. I feel much safer having a piece of paper with a privkey on it than a Notepad file.

To import the private key into your new wallet,
  • If you're using Electrum, you can either:
    • Create a new seed and sweep the private key (Wallet -> Private keys -> Sweep) into one of your new seed's addresses
    • Import the private key straight from the initial Electrum setup (choose "Import Bitcoin addresses or private keys" instead of Standard wallet) and then transfer the funds wherever you'd like
  • If you're still using Bitcoin Core as your new PC's wallet: unlock the new wallet (if you've encrypted it) through the "walletpassphrase" command, followed by the "importprivkey" one. Here's the two commands you need:
Code:
walletpassphrase PASSWORD 600
Code:
importprivkey YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY
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November 23, 2020, 09:01:14 PM
 #12

Have you confirmed that "THE_ADDRESS_OF_THE_WALLET" actually still contains bitcoins? Huh

If you go to a blockexplorer like:

https://blockstream.info/
https://btc.com
https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/
https://live.blockcypher.com/btc/
https://www.blockchain.com/explorer

And enter THE_ADDRESS_OF_THE_WALLET into the search bar (DO NOT USE THE PRIVATE KEY!!)... you will be able to check the current balance. Make sure that it actually contains coins before you bother exporting/importing private keys Wink


Fully syncing Bitcoin Core with the wallet.dat will take longer and requires a fair amount of bandwidth (and possibly data storage if your node isn't in "pruning" mode)... but at least you can be assured that the balance at the end will be correct and it will show any and all coins for all the addresses in your wallet.dat.

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highfarmer (OP)
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November 24, 2020, 01:26:30 AM
 #13

Thank you both of you for replies!


Have you confirmed that "THE_ADDRESS_OF_THE_WALLET" actually still contains bitcoins? Huh

If you go to a blockexplorer like:

https://blockstream.info/
https://btc.com
https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/
https://live.blockcypher.com/btc/
https://www.blockchain.com/explorer

And enter THE_ADDRESS_OF_THE_WALLET into the search bar (DO NOT USE THE PRIVATE KEY!!)... you will be able to check the current balance. Make sure that it actually contains coins before you bother exporting/importing private keys Wink


Fully syncing Bitcoin Core with the wallet.dat will take longer and requires a fair amount of bandwidth (and possibly data storage if your node isn't in "pruning" mode)... but at least you can be assured that the balance at the end will be correct and it will show any and all coins for all the addresses in your wallet.dat.

Seems to be there.
Ok, but the right balance will come up eventually anyway?





Well, as long as you're moving the ".dat" file from one PC to another, I'd have to guess you're using an USB stick. That is a high risk: your USB stick or computer may be infected and the ".dat" file may move not only from one PC to another but also to some unknown malicious party's device. If I were you, I would just create a brand new wallet on the new PC and transfer the old balance to your new wallet.

Try to avoid moving files from one PC to another as USB sticks are a potential risk. Also, if you're using Bitcoin Core as your new wallet, I would personally wait for it to sync completely before sweeping the wallet - but I don't think there is any particular issue if you'd import it before the full sync, besides the fact that your wallet's balance will not be up-to-date. If you're using Electrum in light SPV mode, the synchronization takes literally a few seconds and it doesn't matter if you import/sweep it before/after the sync.

Edit: also, try to write the private key on a piece of paper and never store it on online storage or text files. Move your private key around as least often as you can. Google Drive, Gmail or ProtonMail are not safe ways to store your key. I usually write it down on a piece of paper multiple times, verify one of the lines I've written character by character to make sure I wrote the right thing and then just get rid of the electronically-saved one. I feel much safer having a piece of paper with a privkey on it than a Notepad file.

To import the private key into your new wallet,
  • If you're using Electrum, you can either:
    • Create a new seed and sweep the private key (Wallet -> Private keys -> Sweep) into one of your new seed's addresses
    • Import the private key straight from the initial Electrum setup (choose "Import Bitcoin addresses or private keys" instead of Standard wallet) and then transfer the funds wherever you'd like
  • If you're still using Bitcoin Core as your new PC's wallet: unlock the new wallet (if you've encrypted it) through the "walletpassphrase" command, followed by the "importprivkey" one. Here's the two commands you need:
Code:
walletpassphrase PASSWORD 600
Code:
importprivkey YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY

Thank you very much for this reply!

When you say high risk to get the usb-stick infected, do you mean like 0,1% or 10%-90% ?
Its a new formated usb-stick btw.

Yes, we have been writing both the wallet-address and the private key down on a piece of paper.

If we would use the option "Import the private key straight from the initial Electrum setup", is that the same thing as if we would import the dat-file in another bitcoin core, or just adding the address and privatekey inside that program?
Its the same wallet just that we can open it from another app?

Enter a list of Bitcoin addresses (this will create a watching-only wallet), or a list of private keys.
Here we are writing the wallet-address, right? Like:
p2pkh:WALLET_ADDRESS

When do you add the privatekey? And will this be stored on the new computer anywhere? This option is like import the same wallet inside a new app? Nothing new is happening? This will also continue the sync?

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November 24, 2020, 01:55:07 AM
 #14

 Hi yes there is option to import priv. key in Electrum. Just click the tab and add to electrum and it will show you the coins. Then you will have your bitcoin depending how much you had. Thanks. Share the love with all of us bud. Thank you.
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November 24, 2020, 02:02:37 AM
 #15

Is it the privatekey that should be inserted with no need of the public key?
Isn't it dangerous to put in the private key like that?
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November 24, 2020, 03:09:33 AM
 #16

Seems to be there.
Ok, but the right balance will come up eventually anyway?
Correct. Once Bitcoin Core finishes syncing, it will show all the transaction history and correct balance. The issue being that syncing Bitcoin Core can take a "long time"™ as it needs to download and verify the entire blockchain which is currently 350+gigs worth of data.

This is also the "safest" option, as there is no need to expose private keys which you can potentially do when using export/import etc.

If we would use the option "Import the private key straight from the initial Electrum setup", is that the same thing as if we would import the dat-file in another bitcoin core, or just adding the address and privatekey inside that program?
Its the same wallet just that we can open it from another app?
Sort of... if you're exporting/importing individual keys, there is a possibility that you might "miss" one... Bitcoin Core actually has 100's of private keys stored in the wallet.dat and it also uses "change" addresses (when spending coins), which you won't necessarily "see" in the application as they tend to be "hidden", but still a possibility that one of them contains some of your funds if you've ever sent coins from that wallet.

So, when exporting/importing individual keys to another app, it might not necessarily be an exact clone of the original wallet. However, if you simply copy the entire wallet.dat and open it with another copy of Bitcoin Core, it will be an exact clone.



Enter a list of Bitcoin addresses (this will create a watching-only wallet), or a list of private keys.
Here we are writing the wallet-address, right? Like:
p2pkh:WALLET_ADDRESS

When do you add the privatekey? And will this be stored on the new computer anywhere? This option is like import the same wallet inside a new app? Nothing new is happening? This will also continue the sync?
No, you don't use WALLET_ADDRESS, you don't even need the WALLET_ADDRESS... Electrum will automagically derive the address from the private key...

So, in that window where it says "Enter a list of Bitcoin addresses (this will create a watching-only wallet), or a list of private keys.", you put:
Code:
p2pkh:PRIVATE_KEY_IN_WIF_FORMAT

The private key should start with a "K", "L" (or possibly a "5" if it is VERY old)


Is it the privatekey that should be inserted with no need of the public key?
Isn't it dangerous to put in the private key like that?
It isn't necessarily inherently "dangerous" per se... but more that it carries more "risk"... If you have unknown malware/keyloggers infecting your computer, they could detect private keys being copied to the clipboard or typed on the keyboard or even detected by a "screengrabber" that sends screenshots to the hackers etc.


If you have the time, the bandwidth and the available storage on your harddrive, I would personally recommend that you simply let Bitcoin Core finish syncing, then you can use it to safely send the funds wherever you want. You won't have to worry about potentially exposing to private keys to any unnecessary risk and you can be sure that you are seeing "total" balance contained within the wallet.

If you're desperately short of time, or don't have the available free disk space, to let Bitcoin Core finish syncing... exporting private keys is an option as long as you take adequate steps to protect the private keys. ie. don't enter them onto websites, verify any downloaded wallet software (like Electrum) is legit etc.

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nc50lc
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November 24, 2020, 03:40:09 AM
 #17

Is it the privatekey that should be inserted with no need of the public key?
Isn't it dangerous to put in the private key like that?
You're already using a non-encrypted wallet.dat,
it's basically a collection of unencrypted private keys that're ready to be taken anytime if your machine isn't secured.

In terms of "danger", you are already at the red zone.

Any dangerous high-risks we should avoid?
Risks and to do's:
  • The basics: do not share the wallet file, private key(s); "hdseed" and "extended private masterkey" from the wallet dump file.
  • If you're planning to sync Bitcoin core, at least encrypt your wallet.dat and make another backup after; there will be a warning about it if you try to encrypt the wallet.
  • Keep the old backup safe in an offline storage for insurance
  • Make sure to verify the signature of the wallet that you're going to use before using or importing anything in it.

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November 24, 2020, 10:11:38 AM
 #18

When you say high risk to get the usb-stick infected, do you mean like 0,1% or 10%-90% ?
I didn't mean to make it sound like it's likely to get it infected, but I generally avoid moving crypto-related stuff through removable storage devices such as USBs and MicroSD cards. At one point, it's possible that you may not wipe the USB correctly and plug it into an infected PC while still containing your .dat file.

Its a new formated usb-stick btw.
I don't see it as a problem now, but for the longer-term. Once you get used to the convenience of moving files through USB from one device to another, you get to prefer doing that rather than safer methods.

Yes, we have been writing both the wallet-address and the private key down on a piece of paper.
That's great. The private key is enough for your backup, but it's certainly not bad to also have the wallet address written next to it.

If we would use the option "Import the private key straight from the initial Electrum setup", is that the same thing as if we would import the dat-file in another bitcoin core, or just adding the address and privatekey inside that program?
By using that option, you'd only import the private key inside your wallet. As in, you'd only have an Electrum wallet with a single address in it that you can use.

Its the same wallet just that we can open it from another app?
No, importing the ".dat" file and importing the privkey are two different things. AFAIK, the privkey is part of the ".dat" file. It's the access to a single Bitcoin address that you've exported from your old Bitcoin Core wallet.

By the way, are you sure you only have a single address that you've used on your old Bitcoin Core wallet? You can generate multiple receiving addresses, so make sure you backed up the good one(s).

Enter a list of Bitcoin addresses (this will create a watching-only wallet), or a list of private keys.
Here we are writing the wallet-address, right? Like:
p2pkh:WALLET_ADDRESS
No. If you enter just the address, you will create a watch-only wallet. You can watch anyone's wallet - even mine. If you insert my Bitcoin address in there, you could see my txs, my balance etc. but you do not have access to spend from my address. It's like I'd show you a number of physical banknotes. You can see them, you can count them, but you can't use them because they're mine.

In there you only have to insert the private key. As I said above, the privkey is enough to recover your funds.

When do you add the privatekey? And will this be stored on the new computer anywhere? This option is like import the same wallet inside a new app? Nothing new is happening? This will also continue the sync?
Assuming it's a new PC, the sync will not "continue" from the point your old PC's Bitcoin Core has reached. It would just start from zero instead. But as I mentioned, when you use Electrum, unless you're running a full node (downloading and syncing the entire blockchain, like you had to do with Bitcoin Core), the sync will only take a few seconds. It's running in light mode by default, which means you don't need a lot of storage and time to sync it.

But in all honesty, considering that you are quite new to this stuff, I would rather recommend either sweeping all the private key(s) or fully syncing the Bitcoin Core wallet as @HCP suggested above and having your entire balance be up-to-date before actually moving funds out. You may have other receiving addresses you've used before and still have balance in them. May take more time, but better be safe than sorry.
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November 24, 2020, 10:17:18 AM
 #19

What exactly do you want to achieve?

Do you want to access your coins as fast as possible?
If so, and you are sure that all the coins from your wallet are only on that one address: Import the private key into another wallet (e.g. electrum).

Do you want to switch your wallet so you don't need to keep the whole blockchain synced?
Wait for it to be synced and send a transaction containing everything to a new wallet created in a SPV client (e.g. electrum).

Do you just want to be able to send your coins and don't mind or explicitly want to store and verify the blockchain?
Then, wait for core to be fully synced.

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November 24, 2020, 11:52:22 PM
 #20

Thank you for your answers. We decided we should chose the option of using bitcoin core on a new safe computer and import the dat-file from there. Since I am helping my friend by the phone, it would be great to know as much as possible before we start. We have some time since the downloading process of bitcoin core is pretty time consuming. Is there a function in the newer version of the program that we could be using in an easy way or do we have to replace files and such?

We have encrypted the dat-file from the old computer btw, so it feels much better to import it in the new one.

After that I guess the wallet will continue the sync, how long would that take? And after that the next thing would be to send it to a new wallet, right? Any good recommendations for not having to pay a high fee?
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