Wallets advice, checklist

[pbies]

If you are operating on many wallets, plain or encrypted, you may want a checklist what information about wallets you should gather.
I use for that name of the folder in which the wallet exists and files inside.

I gather these data:

 - how big is wallet in bytes
 - how much there is BTC in wallet
 - the private keys are plain (p) or encrypted (e)
 - keyhunter extracted private keys to file beside wallet (I use .keys extension)
 - wallet should be dumped (I use the same file name + "-dump.txt")
 - export transactions
 - wallet's version given by Bitcoin Core (while loading wallet)
 - is the wallet: fake, damaged, crashing Bitcoin Core
 - largest income to wallet or largest outcome

EDIT:
 - bitcoin2john hash

[1715482346]

1715482346

[1715482346]

1715482346

[1715482346]

1715482346

[1715482346]

1715482346

[jackg]

What does the "files inside" bit mean?

If you have enough wallets/fund distribution to do this I'd recommend using a spreadsheet if you want to keep track of things (I often forget where I have some funds so things are more helpful for that). You could also make spv watching only versions of wallets (with bitcoinj or electrum but you might forgo some privacy this way).

[pbies]

Files inside the wallet folder. You have such structure:

folder name\
folder name\wallet.dat
folder name\wallet-dump.txt
folder name\wallet.dat.keys

and so on.

Where folder name I use is "[size of the wallet] [plain/encrypted] [BTC on it]".

I don't need a spreadsheet. Mostly I shouldn't use it. I put my wallets live like real-time system.

[NotATether]

Why would you need the exported list of transactions? It's not going to be particularly helpful for you to brute-force anything unless you're trying with R,S,Z signatures.

[pbies]

Why would you need the exported list of transactions?

It has public addresses, which can be connected with private keys.

[pbies]

If you imply it can be used for faster brute-forcing/wallet recovery, you better export wallet addresses to avoid confusion (such as whether it's sending/receiving transaction). If you use HD wallet, you also could export both receiving/change address along with it's BIP32 index.

If I don't have the password for private keys, and I have public addresses from that wallet, I cannot export private keys, but I can scan public addresses for phrases used as brain wallets. Surely if I have them/generated them.

[pbies]

I have trouble understanding your reply.
1. By "public address", do you mean Bitcoin public key[1]?
2. What is connection between brain wallet and don't know/forget password of Bitcoin wallet?


[1] https://learnmeabitcoin.com/technical/public-key

1. Yes.
2. Brain wallet converted to WIF can be one of the private keys in wallet for which password was forgotten.

[BlackHatCoiner]

2. Brain wallet converted to WIF can be one of the private keys in wallet for which password was forgotten.

A brain wallet is a wallet on its own. You don't import it to Bitcoin Core and then treat it as another wallet. You've decided to make a brain wallet, because you find it better to either store in memory or in paper a password instead of a wallet file.

I don't need a spreadsheet. Mostly I shouldn't use it. I put my wallets live like real-time system.

Spreadsheet, checklist; it's about the same thing. You want to categorize your wallets, you therefore need a spreadsheet. A good idea would be to have it automatically updated.

[pbies]

Spreadsheet, checklist; it's about the same thing. You want to categorize your wallets, you therefore need a spreadsheet. A good idea would be to have it automatically updated.

And that's why I use real-time system for that.

You cannot hold huge wallet in spreadsheet. Disk is the only place where it is possible + other related files.

[pbies]

1. Then you could export public key of each address on the wallet rather than export list of transactions.

In this case it is the same.

[Welsh]

You cannot hold huge wallet in spreadsheet. Disk is the only place where it is possible + other related files.

What do you mean by this? Spreadsheet should be able to handle a lot of data if that's what your talking about. Plus, you don't necessarily need to use spreadsheet software, and could spit the information out in Json, and import the data you want into a spreadsheet for better reading, and only limiting it to the bits you need.

I'm not even quite sure what you're trying to achieve with collecting most of this data? The typical user doesn't necessarily need to record most of this data either. Some could be useful I suppose, but is probably overkill for the average user.

[pbies]

What do you mean by this? Spreadsheet should be able to handle a lot of data if that's what your talking about. Plus, you don't necessarily need to use spreadsheet software, and could spit the information out in Json, and import the data you want into a spreadsheet for better reading, and only limiting it to the bits you need.

Seems like you know better - that's good!

I'm not even quite sure what you're trying to achieve with collecting most of this data? The typical user doesn't necessarily need to record most of this data either. Some could be useful I suppose, but is probably overkill for the average user.

So, do you know better, or not?