Newbie questions: Wallets, Anonymity, and BlockExplorer...

[Mark228]

I've read about the "basics of crypto wallets" on Many websites.
I have an old laptop; I'll install a clean version of Win 10 on it,
then use it exclusively for Crypto.
I'll install a Desktop wallet (like Exodus, Jaxx Liberty, or ?...).
Question 1: How does one USE the wallet without connecting to the Internet?
Same question: What about an eventual Hardware wallet?

Three years ago, I bought about $20 worth of some crypto,
just to start my crypto education.  Haven't done anything since then.
I cannot now get into Yobit.net...  the account is "blocked".
I cannot sign into Coss.io...  "wrong password" but I DO Know the password.
Coinbase.com says my portfolio balance is $0.
MyEtherWallet.com says my balance (of ETH) is $0.
I know that I Did buy some PRIX (Privatix) crypto, but cannot find it.

I want to get back into crypto, for the purpose of making Big $ via NFTs,
but I'd rather not re-enter my personal info (name, bank, DOB, etc...).
I'd rather remain as anonymous as possible.
Question 2: How to buy some ETH, then move it to the New Desktop wallet?

Suggestions?

And another question: I read about https://blockexplorer.com/
What is that for? 
I entered several old Tx ID numbers; it showed nothing.

Thanks, more-experienced people.
Mark228

[jackg]

To use a wallet fully offline, you normally need something online to easily move the required information through to your wallet software so you can sign transactions/send funds.

This guide for electrum looks like quite a concise example of doing things offline: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/coldstorage.html

If you have Web cam on both machines (or could source one for cheap) that might be the safest way to move information (especially since most malware are designed for infecting windows).

[Upgrade00]

Question 1: How does one USE the wallet without connecting to the Internet?
Same question: What about an eventual Hardware wallet?

This is where a watch only wallet comes in; a watch only wallet is one which you create using the master public key.
• On your airgapped device create your wallet or import it using the private keys, this is what you need for signing transactions,
• On your regular device, create a watch only wallet, it can not sign transactions, as it doesn't have the private keys, but it can generate and broadcast them, broadcasting us the part that needs internet connection.
If you want to send;
1. Generate the transaction on your watch only wallet,
2. Copy the transaction and paste it on your main wallet
3. Sign the transaction
4. Copy the signed transaction to your watch only wallet and broadcast it.

Your private keys would not be connected to the internet for this process.

I know that I Did buy some PRIX (Privatix) crypto, but cannot find it.

Did you copy down any group or words when you bought this?

And another question: I read about https://blockexplorer.com/
What is that for? 
I entered several old Tx ID numbers; it showed nothing.

Block explorers are for checking the blockchain, you can use it to view a transaction or address and would show all the details attached to it.
Verify that the Tx ID you entered is correct. If the transaction is no longer valid or the chain is now down, the blockexplorer would reveal nothing.

[examplens]

Same question: What about an eventual Hardware wallet?

This is probably the best solution to hold your crypto.

I know that I Did buy some PRIX (Privatix) crypto, but cannot find it.

Checking on Coinmarketcap PRIX is listed only on Mercatox and Yobit. So if you don't remember Mercatox, I guess you bought it at Yobit. There is nothing new if your account there is blocked, Yobit is a shadiest exchange and advice to you is to stay away from there.
If you buy PRIX three years ago, looking at its history you probably have less value than three years ago. He is dropped from $1 price to the current $0.05.
it is very likely that the coin is dead at least you're not sorry you lost him.

I want to get back into crypto, for the purpose of making Big $ via NFTs,
but I'd rather not re-enter my personal info (name, bank, DOB, etc...).
I'd rather remain as anonymous as possible.

complete anonymity is becoming increasingly complicated. due to legal regulations, most exchanges require KYC (know your customer). so you are looking for no-kyc services

[Mark228]

Thanks for the replies, people.

JackG, OK, now...  what is Signing?  The glossary at
https://cryptomaniaks.com/cryptocurrency-glossary
defines "Signature" as "a mathematical mechanism for combining a public address with a private address to ensure authenticity and prevent forging." 
OK, that would be to sorta' Confirm or Authorize a transaction...  yes?
So, I also found
https://www.ledger.com/academy/cryptos-greatest-weakness-blind-signing-explained
which describes "blind signing".  If I'm not using Ledger's hardware wallet, do I need to be concerned about that?

I read (twice) that entire link that you mentioned.  This:
https://freedomnode.com/blog/how-to-create-and-use-an-offline-bitcoin-wallet-aka-cold-storage-with-electrum/
might explain the same? process a bit more clearly?

Why did you mention the webcam?  What would that be used for?

Upgrade00:

Did you copy down any group or words when you bought this?  (the PRIX)

I do have the 64-character "private key" that was created.
If I recall correctly (three years ago), I did use the Not-Recomnmended method of privacy,
because I was just testing, and it was a small $ amount.  I think that's all I have.

Re: blockexplorer.com, when I plugged the same ID numbers into Etherscan.io,
it Did show some 3-year-old information, but nothing shows at blockexplorer.com. 
Is that normal?

Examplens:
Yes, I got the PRIX at Yobit.  And I've since read that Yobit is Bad.  Ah, well.
OK,...  Where do such no-kyc services exist?
OR maybe...  I could just use the existing accounts that were created three years ago?

Thanks very much, people.

[examplens]

Re: blockexplorer.com, when I plugged the same ID numbers into Etherscan.io,
it Did show some 3-year-old information, but nothing shows at blockexplorer.com.
Is that normal?

I am not sure about blockexplorer.com Usually, I never use it. Etherscan or ethplorer are much better options and blockchair, blockchain for Bitcoin network.
Now I just tried one of my old ETH addresses, with the last changes 2 years ago. On blockexplorer.com I had no results.

OK,...  Where do such no-kyc services exist?

As far as I know, (I use them also) Kucoin is one of the biggest exchanges which allows using it without passing KYC. Allow using, means you can deposit, trade, withdraw on there even if just as an ordinary user.

[hatshepsut93]

I want to get back into crypto, for the purpose of making Big $ via NFTs,

NFTs are a scam, they don't have any value, they're just poorly-drawn pictures that are being sold and bought by manipulators just to lure unsuspecting investors into buying an overpriced token that they will never be able to sell, because the real demand for that crap is zero.

Buy Bitcoin, put it into your hardware wallet, hold it for 3-5 years and you will make more money and with almost guaranteed safety.

[PrivacyG]

To have a secure wallet, I would first of all strike Windows off the list and replace it with a clean Linux distro instead.  Takes a little bit longer to get used to interacting with the terminal, but once you understand it there is no way you will be going back to Windows again.  Linux provides a layer of safety you never get with Windows or OS X.

Building an airgapped device for altcoins is going to be a mess.  That is, unless you are talking about coins like Litecoin with strong development and support.  Bitcoin is easy to work with if you have an airgapped Electrum, but working with an airgapped wallet of some unknown coin is going to be painful.  The situation worsens when you have multiple unknown altcoins on a fully offline device.

As a result, I strongly suggest that you do buy a Hardware Wallet instead.  I would however strike Ledger off the list immediately.  Since you are looking for a safe way to go, Trezor is fully open-source while Ledger is not.  Also, for a newbie a Hardware Wallet is much better.  Harder to make mistakes, compared to using an airgapped computer.  For complete safety, you would need to only interact with the airgapped PC through cameras.  With Electrum, you can use a camera for the online computer and one for the offline device and do everything this way, scanning QR codes without ever having to plug in USB sticks and other potentially malicious peripherals or devices.  Once again, if you are willing to hold unknown altcoins on it, things get complicated very quickly.

My block explorer of choice is Blockchair.  They do have a .onion link, they offer a privacy meter for transactions and they even offer receipts for transactions!  For Trezor, my wallet of choice is Wasabi.  Wasabi provides an amazing set of privacy focused features.  It works through Tor, it has Coin Control enabled by default and you can anonymize your coins at any time using the included Coin Join feature.

Never share your personal information.  It could backfire on you anytime and your personal information is worth more than an unlocked YoBit or Coinbase account.

-
Regards,
PrivacyG

[jackg]

JackG, OK, now...  what is Signing?  The glossary at
https://cryptomaniaks.com/cryptocurrency-glossary
defines "Signature" as "a mathematical mechanism for combining a public address with a private address to ensure authenticity and prevent forging." 
OK, that would be to sorta' Confirm or Authorize a transaction...  yes?

Yes, signing a valid transaction authorises funds to change hands (they don't change hands until a new block is mined that contains that transaction though).

And it is just a mathematic operation that's run on the unspent output(s) (unspent outputs are just identifiers for funds you have) that relate to the transaction being signed.

So, I also found
https://www.ledger.com/academy/cryptos-greatest-weakness-blind-signing-explained
which describes "blind signing".  If I'm not using Ledger's hardware wallet, do I need to be concerned about that?

I think you'd need to be concerned about that either way. From what I can tell - from a search - it's a method of getting a user/owner of a private key to sign something they haven't seen or that isn't revealed to them. Equally a lot of newbie error is caused by them no understanding what they're looking at anyway so sometimes things might become more complicated than they need to be (enough people sign transactions in wallets without knowing what they're signing - just pay attention and I can't see a ledger wallet being safer than a well maintained airgapped one).

I read (twice) that entire link that you mentioned.  This:
https://freedomnode.com/blog/how-to-create-and-use-an-offline-bitcoin-wallet-aka-cold-storage-with-electrum/
might explain the same? process a bit more clearly?

Use whatever you're most comfortable with - and if you plan to leave your wallet unused for a while, bookmark the site so you can remember what you did to set it up (or write a link to it with your nmemonic).

Why did you mention the webcam?  What would that be used for?

On the bottom of a lot of parts of electrum's window there's a small QR code icon. I think webcams/qr code scanners are quite a bit cheaper than a hardware device and allow for less transmission errors (and fewer vulnerabilities causing a problem with data being sent between the computers.

[Mark228]

Wow.  I am Loving this Very active and Informative forum.
You people are Great !

... Kucoin is one of the biggest exchanges which allows using it without passing KYC.

Examplens: Thanks for the mention of Kucoin.  Looks good.

NFTs are a scam, they don't have any value, ...

Hapshepsut:  You're welcome to your opinion, and I politely disagree. 
NFTs have "value" if somebody is willing to pay. 
And I think I have a Brilliant idea that is marketable to a good-sized subset of the population. 

... strike Windows off the list and replace it with a clean Linux distro instead.

PrivacyG: Thanks for the advice, but for now, I'll stay with Windose (thru a VPN). 
When I get Rich, I'll probably move everything to a Unix machine and a Hardware wallet,
but the learning curve is not yet warranted for the $ amount that I plan to invest. 
Forget about PRIX.  I won't be dealing in any obscure coins... 
probably just ETH at Opensea, which is hopefully easy to withdraw (every time there's > $10k in there).

... there's a small QR code icon.

JackG: Maybe I still don't fully understand the use for the webcam. 
A guess: take a picture of a QR code, and "show" that picture to the Airgapped laptop? 
Heck, I could do that with my cell phone,...  yes?

I'm not Real comfortable with QR codes, because I suspect that they could be mis-read. 
They are made of a...  what...  maybe 200 x 200 matrix of tiny dots that can be either black or white. 
What is there's a speck of dirt on some screen that effectively turns that White dot into a Black dot. 
I fear that could result in a completely wrong address.  It could happen?

Thanks for the continuing discussion.

[hosseinimr93]

I fear that could result in a completely wrong address.  It could happen?

I have used QR codes for bitcoin addresses many times and have never gotten a wrong address.
Even if the QR code gives you a wrong address, it is very very unlikely that it's a valid address. Bitcoin addresses must pass a checksum to be valid.

Also note that you should always check the address before making a transaction, whether you have used a QR code or you have copy-pasted it.