Got access to my bitcoins. Thanks!

[KailyKail]

Hey all.

I got into bitcoin back in the early days of 2012 through 2014, and had set up a wallet through Multibit. The problem I'm having is that although I have all the files related to the wallet, I'm not sure how to get access to it. This was before seeds were required, and I never set a password for the .dat file. The problem is, when I last tried to use a program to open the wallet, it asked me for seed words, and wouldn't let me access it. I'm currently trying another wallet called Electrum, but I'm not having any success there either, although for different reasons. I'm just a little confused as to what they want me to enter in the box to restore a wallet. (It mentions private keys, but I'm following the instructions on their website, and I'm not seeing what they show)

Can anyone provide some advice? Maybe a noob friendly wallet that's easy to load Multibit wallets from?

Thanks for the help! I thought these bitcoins were lost forever. Glad to see that pessimistic view was wrong. Now I just need to determine what I'm gonna do with them. 

[1714614766]

1714614766

[nc50lc]

Try to look for a related topic in this board: Bitcoin Forum > Other > Archival > MultiBit

Be wary of users who'll try to help you through personal message, do not share any info specially "keys";
and keep the discussion public as much as possible.

I'm just a little confused as to what they want me to enter in the box to restore a wallet. (It mentions private keys, but I'm following the instructions on their website, and I'm not seeing what they show)

I believe you can extract your private keys from Multibit Classic but I haven't used it so I pointed you to the correct board.

[KailyKail]

I'll give that a look. Thanks.

To clarify, what I did when I got into bitcoin was download the Bitcoin core program, was assigned a wallet, and started using Bitcoin faucets to obtain coins to the address the program gave me. I believe at some point I had that wallet in Multibit, which is why I have multibit.wallet files on some old drives of mine. I also have a multibit.key and wallet.dat files. I NEVER set a password for any of these files, but for some reason, every time I open the .wallet file in one of these newer programs, it asks for a password. (I've even tried making a new wallet and not setting a password, and these new programs still ask for a password.)

I think my problem isn't something to do with forgetting a password, but trying to figure out how to piece everything together to make it all work.

[nc50lc]

"wallet.dat" must be Bitcoin core's wallet file, you can try to load a copy of it into an existing or new installation of Bitcoin core to check if it has any balance.
New installation will require you some bandwidth and disk space (300Gb+, you can prune it to reduce disk space usage).

You can also open a copy of the wallet.dat using a text editor and find (CTRL+F) lines with "name" on it, there should be an address next to them and paste those to a blockexplorer to check its balance.
Blockexplorer example: https://blockstream.info/ | https://blockchair.com/

(I've even tried making a new wallet and not setting a password, and these new programs still ask for a password.)

What's the name of those "newer programs"?
Please be careful on using third party tools, some of them are designed to steal your funds.

[KailyKail]

I tried using Electrum and BitPay. Both ask for a password.

I searched wallet.dat for "name" and came up with two different addresses, but Blockchain.com says "Oops! We couldn’t find what you are looking for."

I have the wallet address I'm trying to access, but I'm unsure how to get it to open. I looked for a place to load the wallet into Bitcoin core, but didn't see an option to do so. I didn't find a .dat or .key file in the directory to replace.

EDIT: I lied. I replaced the wallet.dat file, but nothing changed. There was no .wallet file to replace

[nc50lc]

There's a "wallet.dat" in Bitcoin core's data directory (not the installation directory), here's the default locations: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Data_directory#Default_Location
If your Bitcoin core is pruned, changing/loading another wallet might not work depending on pruned blocks; if it's not synced, you won't see any balance right away.

EDIT: I lied. I replaced the wallet.dat file, but nothing changed. There was no .wallet file to replace

You might have pasted the wallet.dat file in the wrong directory. Bitcoin core wallet file's default name is "wallet.dat" (extension should be '.dat').

I tried using Electrum and BitPay. Both ask for a password.

The wallet file isn't for Electrum nor Bitpay so it will not work, it's actually surprising that both clients asked for a password.
Note: Electrum's wallet name can be "electrum.dat" (old) or "default_wallet" and "wallet_1" the new version can be renamed and has no extension.

[KailyKail]

There's a "wallet.dat" in Bitcoin core's data directory (not the installation directory), here's the default locations: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Data_directory#Default_Location
If your Bitcoin core is pruned, changing/loading another wallet might not work depending on pruned blocks; if it's not synced, you won't see any balance right away.

By pruned, do you mean the blocks not all being present? I'm a total noob, sorry.

You might have pasted the wallet.dat file in the wrong directory. Bitcoin core wallet file's default name is "wallet.dat" (extension should be '.dat').

I apparently needed to rescan Bitcoin Core. It's working on that now. If it scans it and opens the wallet, should this mean I now have access to my Bitcoins, or are there more steps I should be prepared for?

The wallet file isn't for Electrum nor Bitpay so it will not work, it's actually surprising that both clients asked for a password.
Note: Electrum's wallet name can be "electrum.dat" (old) or "default_wallet" and "wallet_1" the new version can be renamed and has no extension.

I imagine this was my misunderstanding about how the transfer worked. I imagine what they were wanting me to do was create a new wallet within Electrum and pay it from my Multibit wallet? Either way, if they're not compatible, it's a moot point.

[nc50lc]

By pruned, do you mean the blocks not all being present? I'm a total noob, sorry.
-snip-
I apparently needed to rescan Bitcoin Core. It's working on that now. If it scans it and opens the wallet, should this mean I now have access to my Bitcoins, or are there more steps I should be prepared for?

Yes, after rescan, the wallet's correct balance should appear.
"pruned" is when you set the option (Settings->Options->Prune block storage to:) or in bitcoin.conf file to automatically delete the older blocks to save disk space, it has its ups and downs like rescan wont be available.

I imagine this was my misunderstanding about how the transfer worked. I imagine what they were wanting me to do was create a new wallet within Electrum and pay it from my Multibit wallet? Either way, if they're not compatible, it's a moot point.

Ah, that's called "Sweep" but will not pay from Multibit, you'll just paste the keys to a new/existing Electrum wallet and it will create a transaction for you that'll send all of the key's available balance.
You can also "Import" the keys and it will create a wallet based from those keys.

Those non-custodial wallets aren't accounts, they only contain the necessary keys to spend your coins that's contained in the Blockchain.
What you need to export from Multibit are your "private keys" which I believe was already discussed in one of the threads in the linked board.

[KailyKail]

Yes, after rescan, the wallet's correct balance should appear.
"pruned" is when you set the option (Settings->Options->Prune block storage to:) or in bitcoin.conf file to automatically delete the older blocks to save disk space, it has its ups and downs like rescan wont be available.

I rescanned, but I must have done something wrong, because I'm up to September 2015, and the balance still shows zero. There are also no wallets listed in "Receiving addresses."

Ah, that's called "Sweep" but will not pay from Multibit, you'll just paste the keys to a new/existing Electrum wallet and it will create a transaction for you that'll send all of the key's available balance.
You can also "Import" the keys and it will create a wallet based from those keys.

Those non-custodial wallets aren't accounts, they only contain the necessary keys to spend your coins that's contained in the Blockchain.
What you need to export from Multibit are your "private keys" which I believe was already discussed in one of the threads in the linked board.

I did open that .dat file, and I found my public address and a couple of other addresses. I imagine these other addresses are my private keys, correct? What do I do with these once I have them?


EDIT: I tried to update Bitcoin Core, since I had the version from 2017. Thought maybe the new version might help me better, but for some reason, Windows won't let me install it. Says "blocked by your administrator," even though I am the administrator. Is that MalwareBytes doing that?

[nc50lc]

I rescanned, but I must have done something wrong, because I'm up to September 2015, and the balance still shows zero. There are also no wallets listed in "Receiving addresses."

Let it finish and if there's really no balance, then it must be an empty wallet.dat.

I did open that .dat file, and I found my public address and a couple of other addresses. I imagine these other addresses are my private keys, correct? What do I do with these once I have them?

I don't think the private keys can be viewed in plain text, only the previously used addresses.
You can export the private key if you already know the address, use the command ("open console: Window->Console"):

Code:

dumpprivkey "address"

and import that to Electrum using the 'new wallet' option "Import Bitcoin addresses or private keys".

EDIT: I tried to update Bitcoin Core, since I had the version from 2017. Thought maybe the new version might help me better, but for some reason, Windows won't let me install it. Says "blocked by your administrator," even though I am the administrator. Is that MalwareBytes doing that?

Maybe... try to launch it "As Administrator', if it didn't worked, add an exception to your Antivirus.

[KailyKail]

I was able to download an old version of Multibit, and it's synchronizing now. It's not letting me export the private keys, although I think it's because it's still syncing. It doesn't let me enter a password for the wallet (it's greyed out), so I'm hoping that's a good sign. It does show the transaction history for the address, reflecting the current balance.

Edit: Hovering over this yellow square next to the wallet, it reads, "this wallet is not password protected."

[HCP]

To clarify, what I did when I got into bitcoin was download the Bitcoin core program, was assigned a wallet, and started using Bitcoin faucets to obtain coins to the address the program gave me. I believe at some point I had that wallet in Multibit, which is why I have multibit.wallet files on some old drives of mine. I also have a multibit.key and wallet.dat files. I NEVER set a password for any of these files, but for some reason, every time I open the .wallet file in one of these newer programs, it asks for a password. (I've even tried making a new wallet and not setting a password, and these new programs still ask for a password.)

You could not have had the "same" wallet in Bitcoin Core and MultiBit... they are two different programs, with completely different wallet file formats. You cannot use a Bitcoin Core wallet.dat in MultiBit... and you cannot use a ".wallet" file from MultiBit in Bitcoin Core.

You might have been able to export/import the keys between the different wallet applications, but you could not have simply opened the wallet file. Likewise, you can't simply open these files in "these new programs"... all the wallet applications have their own wallet formats and they're generally not compatible with one another.

It's also entirely possible that you had 2 completely different sets of private keys/addresses in the two programs... one set in Bitcoin Core and one set in MultiBit.


If you have a multibit.key file, that is generally a private key "export" file... If it was not password protected, then you should be able to open it in a text editor (I'd recommend Notepad++ https://notepad-plus-plus.org/) and view the private keys... It should look something like this:

Code:

# KEEP YOUR PRIVATE KEYS SAFE !
# Anyone who can read this file can spend your bitcoin.
#
# Format:
#   <Base58 encoded private key>[<whitespace>[<key createdAt>]]
#
#   The Base58 encoded private keys are the same format as
#   produced by the Satoshi client/ sipa dumpprivkey utility.
#
#   Key createdAt is in UTC format as specified by ISO 8601
#   e.g: 2011-12-31T16:42:00Z . The century, 'T' and 'Z' are mandatory
#
L4eBXv6aaE75ysQNMGfdWVWsoSikz8M1FcxeZa3Jx3P1Gyxy2MuX 2019-04-21T13:35:56Z
L52mJcSfHEA8qvYM2hGBR834zL65QD7Q6YYHviDUXSi989c7wBqJ 2019-04-21T13:35:56Z
# End of private keys

However, if it is just "gibberish" that starts with "U2F" and looks something like this:

Code:

U2FsdGVkX18LSYm98B5HRgLWHgx35xMcsSpjjtdC9XG6iEYh9OC+vfyQA1fNmjEKs64cm/bntH7g
/AMeb5NNSEe9hzYAgp/DRvOR+GX9E95pGcl4Gb2AHGMyUfAww7uV

Then it is encrypted and you did set a password when the export file was created...


In any case, you should be able to install Multibit Classic 0.5.19 and simply open the .wallet file... Even if it has a password set, it won't ask for the password until you attempt to either send coins or export the private keys. You should still be able to let the MultiBit sync (although it might take several minutes and possibly as long as an hour or more) and you should be able to view the addresses contained in the .wallet file (even if it has a password).

EDIT: I tried to update Bitcoin Core, since I had the version from 2017. Thought maybe the new version might help me better, but for some reason, Windows won't let me install it. Says "blocked by your administrator," even though I am the administrator. Is that MalwareBytes doing that?

As per this thread on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/m7rc5b/how_to_fix_bitcoin_cores_installation_error_this/

It isn't antivirus related... it's a Windows code signing issue. Sadly, the Windows signing key for Bitcoin Core expired and the dev's were having issues getting a new one... because of this you get the stupid Windows 10 error saying that the application has been blocked. I ran into this issue a few days ago when install Bitcoin Core on a new laptop.

The solution was to use Win+X (or right click the start button) and then launch "Windows Powershell (Admin)"... you then have to navigate to and run the windows installer .exe from the admin powershell window...

Maybe... try to launch it "As Administrator', if it didn't worked, add an exception to your Antivirus.

For some reason... that doesn't work... but opening an admin powershell window and running from that does... Windows is "Awesome"

[KailyKail]

I did indeed get that gibberish in the key file I had, although I opened the wallet up in Multibit, and it doesn't even give me the option of entering a password, and it states the wallet is not password protected.

EDIT:

This is what I see right now.

https://prnt.sc/11i4pxz

[HCP]

I did indeed get that gibberish in the key file I had, although I opened the wallet up in Multibit, and it doesn't even give me the option of entering a password, and it states the wallet is not password protected.

EDIT:

This is what I see right now.

https://prnt.sc/11i4pxz

Awesome... that's excellent news that the wallet files is not password protected... seems like when you exported the keys, you set a password on the export file and it was encrypted.

Unfortunately, this means you'll need to wait until MultiBit finishes syncing before you can export the private keys again It's a bit of a nuisance and likely to take an hour or more, but it will eventually sync... (I just synced up a new MultiBit wallet and it took about an hour). Note, if you use "View -> Messages" in MultiBit you can see how many more blocks to go until it is synced.

Also, if required, you can close MultiBit and then open it later and it will continue syncing from where it left off. So you don't need to worry about trying to sync it all in one go etc.


There are other ways to get access to the keys, but it will involve installing Python and mucking about with commandline scripts etc to dump the keys from the unencrypted .wallet file. So, unless you're comfortable with Python scripts etc, I would recommend just waiting for Multibit to finish syncing... then export the private keys from within MultiBit (without encrypting the export file).

[KailyKail]

Glad to see I finally caught up with Bitcoin. I knew it was a good idea to save the files and not give up.

And yeah, definitely not comfortable with Python, although it's good to know I can continue syncing later. I should have been in bed three hours ago. I have an interview with Edelman Financial later today. 

Thanks so much for the help!