Hard drive full midway thru blockchain download

[Kizzabitcoin]

I was downloading the bitcore wallet with the entire blockchain and ran out of space on my C: drive.  I want to move it onto a portable hard drive with more space... How do I do this with out starting the download again? (I'm halfway through).
 

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[NeuroticFish]

I was downloading the bitcore wallet with the entire blockchain and ran out of space on my C: drive.  I want to move it onto a portable hard drive with more space... How do I do this with out starting the download again? (I'm halfway through).
 

1. Stop Bitcoin Core and make sure it's stopped (a restart may also help).
2. Locate your data folder and move the blocks folder to the new drive (let's say move from c:\somewhere\blocks to d:\blocks-new-home)
3. run cmd as admin and (with corrected paths) do

Code:

mklink /D "c:\somewhere\blocks" "d:\blocks-new-home"

That's all.

[ranochigo]

Shut down Bitcoin Core then move the entire data directory elsewhere.

Afterwards, run Bitcoin with -choosedatadir and select the folder which contains all the contents that you've moved. You'll have to either run it with command prompt, ie:

Code:

cd c:/program files/Bitcoin
bitcoin-qt.exe -choosedatadir

.

Or create a shortcut of Bitcoin Core, right click on it to properties and append -choosedatadir at the end of the target.

[ABCbits]

Take note storing blockchain files on external drive is a bit risky, if it's disconnected when Bitcoin Core is running, it might cause corruption and force you to perform reindex or even redownload corrupted blocks.

[DaveF]

Also, there have been discussions about corruption happening when the drive gets full while downloading the blockchain.
You might be better off starting from scratch. Unless you have download limits or very slow internet.
If you search around here a bit you can see the discussions about external drives and issues people have had and the resolutions.

-Dave

[Jet Cash]

First off - welcome to  Bitcoin Talk, and I gave you a couple of merits for asking a good question, and to encourage you to stay with us.

I've been punnting around with nodes on various Windows and Linux systems, and moving the files between internal and external HDDs and SSDs, and even an SDdisk. I don't recommend the SDdisk, but one can provide a cheap backup for your wallet data, and a basic starter set of blockchain records. If you are creating such a backup, then copy the whole of the Bitcoin directory, as there are a variety of secondary files associated with your node. SSDs seems to be better than HDDs, and I've just completed the sysnchronisation on  an external HDD (2Tb). I was using a notebook with the openSUSE OS, and I found that it often disconnected the external drive for some reason. The core software seens to be pretty robust, and recovered after a restart, but it was a nuisance. I've decided that I will use a notebook with a smaller internal SSD as a dedicated crypto machine, and I hope this will give me better reliability. I will run a pruned node.

If you are considering moving your files onto an external drive, then you should create a few backups, and move forward slowly in my opinion. The first thing I would do is to make an SDdisk backup as previously mentioned. Then move your entire Bitcoin directory onto the external drive. Keep it in a directory called Bitcoin, and check that all the files have been copied. Then rename the Bitcoin directory on you current drive, and start Bitcoin core. It should tell you that it is being run for the first time, and ask you if you want to use a custom directory. Tick that box, and enter the address of the Bitcoin directory on the new external drive. Core should then start to verify the files, and restart synchronisation. At this point. you shouyld have 3 copies of your files, and you can check the addresses in the new wallet to ensure that it is intact. Don't delete the renamed directory until you are sure everything is correct.

Once you are sure that the blockchain has downloaded, you can decide whether to run an internal pruned node, stick with the external drive, or increase the size of the drive in you machine. My preference would be to use an internal drive. This is based on the minor problems I have had with external drives. Incidentally thes are slower than an internal drive.

Perhaps others can comment if I have made any unwise suggestions, or anything that could lead to future problems.

[Chikito]

I want to move it onto a portable hard drive with more space... How do I do this without starting the download again? (I'm halfway through).

You have to copy all folder Bitcoin into a new portable hard drive.

Windows+R > write > %appdata% > select > Bitcoin > copy > new hard drive (F)

in shortcut, change target into F  "C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin-qt.exe" -datadir=F:\Bitcoin

I am running it so far without a problem, but you must create the backup. Buy one more cheap portable hard drive for the blocks.

more important is a wallet.dat file, you must also back up it to another place, it's just a small kb, you can save it to another unused flash drive.

[ranochigo]

Really? I'm running blockchain on external drive since 2013 and there was no problem so far.  When my old HDD was out of capacity I just replaced it with the  faster and bigger SSD     preliminary coping all files to that new drive.   Either I'm a lucky man or you’re exaggerating the danger a little bit.

Disconnecting it suddenly would be akin to an unclean shutdown which can cause database corruption. It'll be fine unless the disconnection happens while Bitcoin Core is writing data into the disk.

[NeuroticFish]

Well, following is a rhetorical question but I’d still like to ask. Is an internal drive (which runs 24/7)  protected from a failure?

I'll ignore the "rhetorical" part and I'll answer
I expect most computers' HDDs not be designed to run 24/7. The theory nowadays tells that if one has installed there proper NAS HDD, he should be fine.

However, I've been using (in the last 20 years) in many occasions computers 24/7 for many months with no visible consequences on the HDD. I don't expect the same with external HDD.

[Kizzabitcoin]

Thanks to all for the informative conversation... I've much to learn.  Will digest these comments, do a little research and most likely return for more help
Update soon

[NotATether]

However, I've been using (in the last 20 years) in many occasions computers 24/7 for many months with no visible consequences on the HDD. I don't expect the same with external HDD.

There's a big difference between merely running a computer 24/7 without touching the disk much and actually utilizing the disk constantly. Also disks have a much longer lifetime than just a few months, some sources put them at 5 years.

A disk that runs constantly only runs into the risk of getting bad sectors, where data inside it is lost and for a disk that mostly has blocks and undo data on it, will indeed corrupt some of them and require a reindex. But most disks won't be damaged like that quickly, just don't drop the disk or tip over the case tower holding it while it's writing to it because that could get the disk platter scratched and destroy the whole disk.

[NeuroticFish]

There's a big difference between merely running a computer 24/7 without touching the disk much and actually utilizing the disk constantly. Also disks have a much longer lifetime than just a few months, some sources put them at 5 years.

A disk that runs constantly only runs into the risk of getting bad sectors, where data inside it is lost and for a disk that mostly has blocks and undo data on it, will indeed corrupt some of them and require a reindex. But most disks won't be damaged like that quickly, just don't drop the disk or tip over the case tower holding it while it's writing to it because that could get the disk platter scratched and destroy the whole disk.

I know all this.
There was not constant HDD access, but there was pretty much access. After the initial sync Bitcoin Core also don't need "constant" access either.
And the HDDs have worked way more than the expected 5 years, just after around 5-7 years they got retired i.e. less use and non-essential one; last time I've seen them working days before the pandemic.
And I didn't encounter any bad sectors.

[Timelord2067]

Once you have copy/verified the transfer of the bitcoin folder and it's entire contents onto an external hard drive with enough room, create a BAT file in the "BIN" FOLDER/DIRECTORY called

bitcoin.bat using any notepad style program (not "office" or "open office" - I use NOTETAB PRO)

add the following line of text:

Code:

bitcoin-qt.exe -datadir=%~dp0

save, then double click on the bitcoin.bat file.  The above line of code will tell your program that everything it needs is in that folder.


Having said the above, if you were starting from scratch, unzip the contents of the version 21.0 zip file into a new folder, then do the above steps.

You can add the wallet.dat prior to first running the program, or, at any point after you shut the program down.

AND MAKE BACKUPS OF EVERYTHING & ANYTHING BEFORE YOU TRY ANY OF THE ABOVE!