Classic Multibit 0.5.18 recovery with 16 words passphrase help please

[NickyGH]

Hello,

I am not a technical person at all. Just able to use computer to basic standards. Please help me with basic step to follow that are not technical. I appreciate your kindness.

My problem:

I used to have few years ago a Multibit Classic bitcoin wallet in a computer that then stop working. I tried to delete some programmes to makes some space as it was only 2GB memory and was full, but I think that I did damage even further and this computer does not work anymore. In addition, the screen is black even when plugged in and switched on (I thing the hardware is damaged too) I used to have one bitcoin there.

3 years ago, I bought another laptop (with 4 GB memory). I downloaded the Multibit wallet and it's the 0.5.18 classic version. I cannot see any bitcoin on the balance. It's show 0 BTC.

For your information, when I did create my wallet in my previous laptop (now not working) I did write my 16 words passphrase. Yes, it's 16 words I can confirm (not 12 or 24). For information, I had this wallet created with a tech guy while on a crypto cafe in London when a meeting was organised to get help (through meeting group website) for people wanting to get help with setting up a wallet for total novice like me.

So my question is: I have the 16 words for the passphrase from Multibit Classic. Can anyone help me step by step in very simple way how to use this passphrase to get my bitcoin in another wallet?

I thank you very much in advance for your kind help.

Nicky

[BlackHatCoiner]

So my question is: I have the 16 words for the passphrase from Multibit Classic. Can anyone help me step by step in very simple way how to use this passphrase to get my bitcoin in another wallet?

You'll get tons of replies shortly, don't worry. You're most likely going to gain access to that bitcoin. First things first, back up anything related with Multibit! Wallets, files, anything you believe that it's related with the program. Since you state that you're not a tech-guy, you probably don't know what is the wallet file.

Multibit is an old SPV (Secure Payment Verification) client. I'm not sure, but I had read somewhere that there is no Multibit server running these days, and this is maybe why it doesn't show you balance. These 16 words aren't obviously generated with the BIP39 standard and thus, you can't import them on an improved SPV such as electrum.

Do you see any addresses on the program? (such as: 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa)
If you do see them, is there a "Show private key" option anywhere? In order to access your funds you'll have to find the private key of the address that has your bitcoin. A private key looks like this:

Code:

KyiYuDRc84KQJ2CTAi4or7GE2mgkBZpzRTTx8yBDuSCpSJbChKaV

If you find the private key of the address that has the funds, then you'll have your bitcoin. I'm sure that someone who has used multibit in the past can help you more than I do.

[NickyGH]

Hello BlackHatCoiner,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I have an address similar to what you show me, it's on the line, Your Address:
and this is in the section of 'request'

I am worried that this wallet do not have the right key where the found would be recovered because this is a wallet I have created when downloaded Multibit classic in my second laptop...

My first laptop where I had in the first place the wallet created and bitcoin in there is not working anymore so I cannot access the key there (the line similar to what you explain to me, that is call 'your address' in my wallet.

So that's why I was hoping to use my 16 words passphrase to recover my bitcoin, because the current wallet I have is not the initial one (where the bitcoin was initially) and I am not sure if by creating a new wallet when I downloaded Multibit in my new laptop 3 years ago, my private keywords would enable me to recover bitcoin from the previous laptop...

Sorry if this is confusing. I am myself.

However, I really appreciate that you are responding and trying to help me in a very simple and non technical way.

Thank you very much.
Nicky

[BlackHatCoiner]

You should recover your old Multibit wallet in the new laptop with your 16 words. Have you tried that?

[NickyGH]

Hi BlackHatCoiner,

No I haven't tried that.

I haven't got a clue how to do. It doesn't seem that I have an option to do that. I searched but didn't see how...?

Would you kindly guide me how to do?

Thank you
Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

Since you have the seed, I've found something that may be working for you, OP. I hope that the 16 words are actually 15-words seed and a password maybe?
Can you try to follow the steps provided here?
(You should indeed not use the online version of iancoleman website, instead download it).

Then you'll have to check those addresses and see if you have money on them; for that you'll paste the address (starting with 1) to https://blockchair.com/

Manual method:
- Create offline version of https://iancoleman.github.io/bip39/
- Put in your MultiBit HD seed
- Set Derivation Path -> BIP32
- Set Client = "MultiBit HD"
- Copy all the address/private keys (click show more until you are sure you have more than all the addresses you ever used)
- Set Client = "Custom" -> Set Derivation Path = m/0'/1
- Copy all the change addresses/private keys (click show more until you are sure you have more than all the addresses you ever used)

Edit: You should try also with default (m/0'/0) derivation path. And you have to check the first resulted address and see if it has transactions, not necessarily funds; transactions would already be a great sign.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

Thank you for trying to helping me.

No, I can confirm that I do have 16 words seed. They are all words which make no sense with each other and no password (as you would create one) in included in this list.

I am worried that my post has been moved to 'development and Technical Discussion' section in this forum. This may be more suitable for technical people to read and understand which I am not.

I am trying to understand what you wrote to help me but cannot make sense of it. It's really too complicated for me and already highly technical.

Any way just to use my 16 seeds words to get this passphrase to recover in another wallet in a very simple way?

Thank  you very much again for all your help.
Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

I am trying to understand what you wrote to help me but cannot make sense of it. It's really too complicated for me and already highly technical.

OK, I'll start easier. Can you please download https://github.com/iancoleman/bip39/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
You'll get a file master.zip, which you will have to unpack/extract. You'll obtain a folder bip39-master, you go inside, go into src and double-click index.html
In the opened web page, please fill into BIP39 Mnemonic your 16 words.

Let us know if you managed to reach this point.

I am worried that my post has been moved to 'development and Technical Discussion' section in this forum. This may be more suitable for technical people to read and understand which I am not.

That's where wallet related questions belong. Whatever is not clear, ask again.
People will try to answer in a way or another until you understand what you have to do.

Just keep in mind that you work with an old/outdated wallet most of us didn't work with and the answers may or may not be helpful   ; but at least we'll try.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

Thank you very much for this.

I have followed your instruction and got the file open as a web page.

However, there are so many things in there... Where do I enter my 16 words? I don't know where to enter them at all... Sorry about this.

Please help.

Thank you
Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

Where do I enter my 16 words? I don't know where to enter them at all... Sorry about this.

As I wrote, into the BIP39 Mnemonic area 



Please tell if, after writing the seed, there's any error on top-right under orange background.

[BlackHatCoiner]

@NeuroticFish, where did you read that you can recover them that way? I think that you're referring to Multibit HD. He said that he used Multibit Classic. I have no idea what's the difference between these two, but there may be one.

Basically the problem is that there are no binaries of Multibit Classic somewhere on the internet, I've checked lots of sites. If there were, it'd be much easier to help him/her. The project is officially abandoned: https://github.com/Multibit-Legacy/multibit

Dear Bitcoin Community,

It is time for us to let Multibit go.

And they've only left the source files. Is there anyone understanding how to compile Multibit? Because I don't.

[NeuroticFish]

@NeuroticFish, where did you read that you can recover them that way? I think that you're referring to Multibit HD. He said that he used Multibit Classic. I have no idea what's the difference between these two, but there may be one.

I have used Multibit Classic and it certainly had no seed at all. The only Multibit with seed was Multibit HD (Hierarchical Deterministic).
So I guess that OP was used the incorrect words and he has Multibit HD, hence I went on the path of recovering from seed.
If this won't work or you have better idea, be my guest, I don't mind at all. I just want this person get to access his funds, with or without my help.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

I have entered my 16 words in the space but it's look slightly different from your screenshot. Didn't 'enter' or 'confirm' anything. No orange colour...



Valid entropy values include:

 Binary [0-1]
101010011
 Base 6 [0-5]
123434014
 Dice [1-6]
62535634
 Base 10 [0-9]
90834528
 Hex [0-9A-F]
4187a8bfd9
 Card [A2-9TJQK][CDHS]
ahqs9dtc
 Show entropy details
 Hide all private info
Mnemonic Language
English 日本語 Español 中文(简体) 中文(繁體) Français Italiano 한국어 Čeština Português
BIP39 Mnemonic
ENTERED MY 16 WORDS THERE

Thank you
Nicky

[NickyGH]

Regarding 16 words, I can confirm that I have indeed the 16 words phassphrase.

When I got help for the setting of my wallet Multibit Classic in 2014 with the tech guy in the Vap cafe in London Shoreditch, he strongly insisted that all of us taking time to write carefully the 16 words that was generated and to keep them in a piece of paper safely.

He explained that this was for us to recover the bitcoin in case we loose the wallet, or the computer or whatever.

I have kept this piece of paper with my 16 words seed (as I believe you call that). That's why I am trying to recover my bitcoin with them.

NB. I am a woman.

Thank you for all your help out there... I hope I can recover my bitcoin.

I am quite desperate. I lost my job and I am currently ill with a chronic condition, so recovering my bitcoin would be amazing to me.

Thank you for your kind help and support.

Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

No orange colour...

I'm a bit surprised on the "slightly different" part, but I hope that no orange color means that we are on the good track. Please don't paste the seed or the private keys. (meaning be very careful with that you post publicly).
Next steps, see the red squares.
For derivation path please try with m/0'/0, get the first address (bottom red square) copy/paste-it into https://chain.so (I switched to an easier website)
If no funds nor transactions found, try with m/0'/1.







^^ here you can see if you have funds or transactions.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

Thank you so much for all of this.

I have tried to follow you onscreen steps and guidance.

Yes, it looks differently, but I have located the Derivation Path section.
However, I cannot get 'Multibit' under the drop down arrow in the 'client' section.

Also, I do not have Multibit HD but Multibit classic. I do not if this matter or no.

Do I need to press enter or tick something once I have written my 16 words as previously? Because I should be like you able to select 'multibit' in the client section, but I cannot: it doesn't move...

Thank you
Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

However, I cannot get 'Multibit' under the drop down arrow in the 'client' section.

This is a problem. And only now I understand where it comes from.
You didn't unpack the zip file, you just clicked into it.

After clicking into, there's a folder bip39-master. Please copy it somewhere else so it gets unpacked.
Then you'll have to start over, but from the new index.html after copying.
I have high hopes that now the web page will look like in my images.

Also, I do not have Multibit HD but Multibit classic. I do not if this matter or no.

As I told BlackHatCoiner, the seed cannot work with Multibit Classic, only with Multibit HD.
I think that this may be one of the reasons the second install didn't work out.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

I am sorry, but as I told you I am not technical at all.

Regarding the zip file, yes I did click on it only. I don't know how to unpack it.

Not clear for me 'how to copy it'. If I right click 'copy' on the folder bip39-master then what do you mean by 'copy it somewhere else'...?
Sorry, but I really struggle with this, I know that is surely very easy for you, apologies to be so unable with basic computer functiion.

Since it seems that the tools works only for Multibit HD and not for Multibit Classic, any other route for me (simple please) to use my 16 words phrase and recover my bitcoin? Like into another wallet that could recognize my 16 words phrase?

Or any other easy option?

Thank you again so much for your help.

Nicky

[NeuroticFish]

I am sorry, but as I told you I am not technical at all.

This is not a big problem. The actual problem is that I have to go, so either somebody takes this over, either we continue sometime else (I'll be online again tomorrow, but I can't tell when)

Regarding the zip file, yes I did click on it only. I don't know how to unpack it.

Not clear for me 'how to copy it'. If I right click 'copy' on the folder bip39-master then what do you mean by 'copy it somewhere else'...?
Sorry, but I really struggle with this, I know that is surely very easy for you, apologies to be so unable with basic computer functiion.

Basically you have to drag and drop that folder from the downloaded archive anywhere else, like for example the desktop.
Although it's not exactly the same situation as for you, I hope that this helps.

https://www.tenforums.com/attachments/general-support/68028d1485964056t-cant-drag-drop-text-image-ie-11-wordpad-other-programs-drag-drop-desktop.jpg

Since it seems that the tools works only for Multibit HD and not for Multibit Classic, any other route for me (simple please) to use my 16 words phrase and recover my bitcoin? Like into another wallet that could recognize my 16 words phrase?

Or any other easy option?

I would actually be happy if this method works. I think that this is the easy method.
But if you can extract the wallet file (which you'll have to find, with some help) from the old computer, then another direction may be available.

[NickyGH]

Hi NeuroticFish,

Thank you so so so much for all your help and time.

I managed to copy the folder in my desktop (thanks for advising me on that, this was very clear) and to open the Mnemonic Code Converter which looks exactly like your screenshot! So, that's good.

I have entered my 16 words and I have one that is flagged in 'orange' and I am given an alternative option saying that this word doesn't exist in the wordlist.  Message is xxxx is not in the worldlist, do you mean xxxx ?

Should I keep the word the way I entered it (but I have the orange flag) or should I replace it with the word they suggest which has one letter different (maybe I wrote it wrong in the first place, my hand writing is quite bad...)?

I understand that you have to go, but again, thank you so much for your help.

As I am stuck, I would wait for whenever I can get addition help to carry on the process, if you are back tomorrow, I would be happy to follow up with your kind help. I really appreciate.

Thank you and waiting for next step. Again, I have one word which shows in 'orange' on top right.

Thank you so much
Nicky

Good news is: the page tool for Mnemonic looks exactly like yours, so I have the good one...