**REWARD** Help me restore my wallet!!

[sweetviolence]

Hi there! I know this probably has been asked like thousand of times, but I'm here asking personal help

Some years ago I had a electrum wallet when I used to use BTC to buy weed over the darknet (yep) in a HDD. Shit happens, that HDD got formatted to install again Win. I didnt take care much back then, but as you can imagine with the recent BTC rises I tried to restore files from that HDD, and I've been able to recover some related files

I'm a developer myself so I have some background on IT, but my skills are not sharp enough to get this job done, even to actually know if it can be done

If anyone out here is willing to help me in my quest, and we are able to restore some funds from there, I'll reward with a %10 of anything could be there. It could be 2 BTC, it could be 0.1... I'm not sure what we could found it there.

That being said, if you think you are skilled enough to do the job, please just let me know and lets get our hands dirty to get some BTC

Thanks in advance

[1714682743]

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[PawGo]

Ask Dave https://www.walletrecoveryservices.com/

[LoyceV]

I've been able to recover some related files

The only file you need is your wallet, which might be called "wallet_1" (or anything else you typed yourself). There is no extension by default.
Another angle: when you installed Electrum, it asked you to write down your 12 word mnemonic. Finding those words is enough to restore your wallet too.

Ask Dave

Dave's service is to recover a lost password, when you have a wallet already.

[sweetviolence]

Thanks for your answers guys.

The main point is that I couldn´t find any file named wallet, or related. I do have anyway other files that I´m not sure could end up restoring my wallet, that's why I'm asking for help 

Thanks!

[PawGo]

Have you seen this topic?
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=22697.0

[PawGo]

Right.

Electrum wallet could be encoded with password or not. If not - it is easier, file has JSON format, looks like

Code:

{
    "addr_history": {
        "3PQRST.....": [
            
    },
    "addresses": {
        "3456789.......": {},
    },

Encrypted wallets are base64 encoded, so it looks like a mess (but only with readable characters).
Were you able to retrieve any information about folders? Usually you look for files inside

Code:

electrum_data/wallets

folder.

[TheBeardedBaby]

What software you are using to recover the files from that hdd? Some free recovery software let you see only documents, pictures and videos. Those won't help you in that quest.
The first thing is to find something reliable to recover the data with. I've been using EaseUS alot before with great results, it costs a bit but if you have a chance to recover the lost coins it should be quite good deal.
As LoyceV said, better focus on finding the seed, think about where you could have store it.

People back in the day were ignoring the security warnings and were saving seed in .txt files or picutres so try to remember, you have a higher chance to find it I think than the file on a hdd.

[fwman]

Did you use any recovery software? if it didn't give you anything, you can test with a script/software that can deeply search your HDD for the wallet file.

[sweetviolence]

Hi there

Thank y'all for your replies. I think I get your point but unafortunately I'm not "that" close to the solution.

I have been able to recover some files like blockchain_headers, bitcoins.sk, a certs folder, everything inside a Electrum folder

I can remember the icon of the software I used to make/receive transactions and how it worked, but couldn recover this file even a *_wallet file.

I used both EaseUS and Wondershare Recoverit

I have no idea if what I'm asking for could be accomplished, that's why I'm asking for some help, I would happily share some BTC if we can get this job done

Cheers!

[Vod]

Some years ago I had a electrum wallet when I used to use BTC to buy weed over the darknet (yep) in a HDD. Shit happens, that HDD got formatted to install again Win. I didnt take care much back then, but as you can imagine with the recent BTC rises I tried to restore files from that HDD, and I've been able to recover some related files

Formatting your hard drive doesn't erase data, it just marks the space to be reused.

If you did re-use that space, the chances of your recovering the data without spending obscene amounts of $, is almost zero.  

(I say almost zero because there is a reason wiping programs erase and rewrite a sector multiple times)

It could be 2 BTC, it could be 0.1... I'm not sure what we could found it there.

Do you not know the address?

[fwman]

Hi there

Thank y'all for your replies. I think I get your point but unafortunately I'm not "that" close to the solution.

I have been able to recover some files like blockchain_headers, bitcoins.sk, a certs folder, everything inside a Electrum folder

I can remember the icon of the software I used to make/receive transactions and how it worked, but couldn recover this file even a *_wallet file.

I used both EaseUS and Wondershare Recoverit

I have no idea if what I'm asking for could be accomplished, that's why I'm asking for some help, I would happily share some BTC if we can get this job done

Cheers!

Hi, I think you could have probably a chance to recover it if those important info(seed etc) had not been damaged yet. Before any action, make sure your HDD is in read only(couldn’t write anything) and using your other HDD to install or use softwares/scripts etc and you have a copy of its data as backup. If you are using Gnu/Linux, first try ddrescue to copy from the drive/HDD and then you can use scalpel for searching in the imaged file from ddrescue. You must change scalpel’s conf file for searching for example “seed” phrase in the imaged file. In this level we don’t need to find whole wallet file, maybe it was corrupted but we need only seed phrase.(We know Electrum wallet is text format).

EDIT: I saw, you can use scalpel in Windows also, but I don't know which Windows versions are supported.

[sweetviolence]

Yep, I do know how erasing data from a drive works. But since I do not know how to restore a wallet, and if its even possible with the files I got... just asking

I did my own research but the quality info I reached requires a depth level of understanding about the topic, wich I have not right now

Well looks like I won't be able this, at least not without digging more

Thanks to all anyway

Best

[fwman]

Yep, I do know how erasing data from a drive works. But since I do not know how to restore a wallet, and if its even possible with the files I got... just asking

I did my own research but the quality info I reached requires a depth level of understanding about the topic, wich I have not right now

Well looks like I won't be able this, at least not without digging more

Thanks to all anyway

Best

It isn’t hard, only you need to use a software/script etc to search deeply(byte by byte) in your HDD for finding the most important info, the seed phrase for example.

[LoyceV]

I have been able to recover some files like blockchain_headers, bitcoins.sk, a certs folder, everything inside a Electrum folder

On Linux, you'd be looking for a directory called "wallets" inside a directory called ".electrum". Any file inside the wallets-subdirectory is what you're looking for.

[DireWolfM14]

*_wallet file.

Try searching for *wallet*.  The first time Electrum creates a wallet it'll name it default_wallet, and all subsequent wallets will be named wallet_1, wallet_2, so on and so forth.  Also try to recall if you had given it another name, such as weedfunds, or some such silliness.

I take it this was before bip32 seed phrase implantation?

[sweetviolence]

Thanks again for your replies

All I've been able to get anything related to this are a blockcahin_headers file, some bitcoins.sk, a config file and I think I could assume nothing named "wallet" or "seed"

I should probably learn how to do hexadecimal search byte by byte, maybe worth the effort lol


Thanks!!

[sweetviolence]

*_wallet file.

Try searching for *wallet*.  The first time Electrum creates a wallet it'll name it default_wallet, and all subsequent wallets will be named wallet_1, wallet_2, so on and so forth.  Also try to recall if you had given it another name, such as weedfunds, or some such silliness.

I take it this was before bip32 seed phrase implantation?

I can found a folder named Electrum (Was run by windows), i would say I was using the portable version tho.

Couldn't get any file named default_wallet or something like that, not sure If I gave this wallet I name but I'd say I choose the default name

All I got is blockchain_headers, config, recent_servers files and then a "certs" with DNS names and a bitcoins.sk file

Can I do something with this..?

[DireWolfM14]

*_wallet file.

Try searching for *wallet*.  The first time Electrum creates a wallet it'll name it default_wallet, and all subsequent wallets will be named wallet_1, wallet_2, so on and so forth.  Also try to recall if you had given it another name, such as weedfunds, or some such silliness.

I take it this was before bip32 seed phrase implantation?

I can found a folder named Electrum (Was run by windows), i would say I was using the portable version tho.

Couldn't get any file named default_wallet or something like that, not sure If I gave this wallet I name but I'd say I choose the default name

All I got is blockchain_headers, config, recent_servers files and then a "certs" with DNS names and a bitcoins.sk file

Can I do something with this..?

If Electrum was installed on your system the directory where the wallet files are stored will be "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Electrum\wallets".  If you were using the standalone version it should have created the "wallets" directory files in the same directory where the executable file is located.

You wont find any file named "seeds."  The Bip32 (and subsequent Bip39) implementation allow us to create a wallet backup "seed phrase."  These mnemonic phrases consist of 12 to 24 common dictionary words.  The phrase would not have been stored on the computer, but rather you would have been instructed (during setup) to write down the phrase and store it someplace safe.  If you have a seed phrase then you can stop searching for the old wallet files.  The phrase can be used to restore your wallet and all your funds.

[TheBeardedBaby]

What I have witness during such procedures on a windows computers is that the file names are often corrupted but the files are fine, so looking for something like *wal* could also be a good chance to find something like, wal~ or _wal or ~wal_ I've seen a lot of variations.
Some examples to try.
*wal*
*let*

[sweetviolence]

*_wallet file.

Try searching for *wallet*.  The first time Electrum creates a wallet it'll name it default_wallet, and all subsequent wallets will be named wallet_1, wallet_2, so on and so forth.  Also try to recall if you had given it another name, such as weedfunds, or some such silliness.

I take it this was before bip32 seed phrase implantation?

I can found a folder named Electrum (Was run by windows), i would say I was using the portable version tho.

Couldn't get any file named default_wallet or something like that, not sure If I gave this wallet I name but I'd say I choose the default name

All I got is blockchain_headers, config, recent_servers files and then a "certs" with DNS names and a bitcoins.sk file

Can I do something with this..?

If Electrum was installed on your system the directory where the wallet files are stored will be "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Electrum\wallets".  If you were using the standalone version it should have created the "wallets" directory files in the same directory where the executable file is located.

You wont find any file named "seeds."  The Bip32 (and subsequent Bip39) implementation allow us to create a wallet backup "seed phrase."  These mnemonic phrases consist of 12 to 24 common dictionary words.  The phrase would not have been stored on the computer, but rather you would have been instructed (during setup) to write down the phrase and store it someplace safe.  If you have a seed phrase then you can stop searching for the old wallet files.  The phrase can be used to restore your wallet and all your funds.

I dont get that. Let's say I got that "seed phrase", what can I do with that? I thought since my wallet was stored locally, there is nothing I can dot but recover those very files