Guides for using Bisq

[Agbe]

I am using Windows 7 version.

That's probably your issue then. Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended 7 years ago. It is an outdated and insecure OS. You should strongly considering upgrading at least to Windows 10, although obviously Linux would be a better choice all round for both security and privacy.

n0nce please can you send me the link to download wasabi?

Why do you want to use Wasabi? In case you are unaware, they are pro-surveillance and pro-censorship and cooperate with blockchain analysis. I would steer well clear of their software.

I have upgraded the system to windows 8 before but the system was malfunctioning, that made me to change it back to the previous windows which is the 7. And now I am comfortable with the windows 7 but there are some software that I want to use are not installing. Or if they installed I cannot used them. That is the issue I am facing.

I don't know how to open dollar account or EUR account but if you can tell me the steps I will be very happy. Thanks

I think you misunderstood me. I wasn't talking about opening EUR/USD accounts in Bisq, I meant open a foreign currency account in your local bank where you can accept foreign currencies to it instead of the local Nigerian fiat. After that, you can trade BTC for USD since Naira isn't supported.

n0nce please can you send me the link to download wasabi?

I don't see the connection between Bisq and Wasabi, but nevertheless, you can get it from https://wasabiwallet.io/. The downloads page can be accessed from the button at the top right. I hope you have a 64-bit processor. I think that's a requirement for Wasabi, but I am not entirely sure. I would advice you to upgrade your OS to at least Windows 10. Win 7 is abandoned and doesn't receive security updates anymore. 

Okay probably I misunderstood you, really the last time when I was trying to open a dollar account, I was not having one of the requirements in the bank and the stress was much so I suspended it.

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.
Thanks you all.

[Pmalek]

I have upgraded the system to windows 8 before but the system was malfunctioning, that made me to change it back to the previous windows which is the 7.

That's too bad. Your hardware is probably not up to the task, that's why the computer is acting up. Your Windows 7 is also not genuine I assume.

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.

Since you are still on Windows 7, you can't use the newest versions of Electrum. Since version 4.2.0, your Operating System is no longer supported. But if needed, you could still use version 4.1.5 as described in the official release notes.

Release 4.2.1 - (March 26, 2022)
 * Binaries:
   - Windows: we are dropping support for Windows 7. (#7728)
     Version 4.2.0 already unintentionally broke compatibility with
     Win7 and there is no easy way to restore and maintain support.
     Existing users can keep using version 4.1.5 for now, but should
     consider upgrading or changing their OS.
     Win8.1 still works but only Win10 is regularly tested.

https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/RELEASE-NOTES

[NotATether]

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.

Since you are still on Windows 7, you can't use the newest versions of Electrum. Since version 4.2.0, your Operating System is no longer supported. But if needed, you could still use version 4.1.5 as described in the official release notes.

Release 4.2.1 - (March 26, 2022)
 * Binaries:
   - Windows: we are dropping support for Windows 7. (#7728)
     Version 4.2.0 already unintentionally broke compatibility with
     Win7 and there is no easy way to restore and maintain support.
     Existing users can keep using version 4.1.5 for now, but should
     consider upgrading or changing their OS.
     Win8.1 still works but only Win10 is regularly tested.

https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/RELEASE-NOTES

There's also the option of running an airgapped Windows 11 Virtualbox VM just for Electrum - 32-bit VM with light memory requirements (believe it or not, 1GB will actually do just fine!) since you're not running any other programs on it.

[Agbe]

I have upgraded the system to windows 8 before but the system was malfunctioning, that made me to change it back to the previous windows which is the 7.

That's too bad. Your hardware is probably not up to the task, that's why the computer is acting up. Your Windows 7 is also not genuine I assume.

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.

Since you are still on Windows 7, you can't use the newest versions of Electrum. Since version 4.2.0, your Operating System is no longer supported. But if needed, you could still use version 4.1.5 as described in the official release notes.

Release 4.2.1 - (March 26, 2022)
 * Binaries:
   - Windows: we are dropping support for Windows 7. (#7728)
     Version 4.2.0 already unintentionally broke compatibility with
     Win7 and there is no easy way to restore and maintain support.
     Existing users can keep using version 4.1.5 for now, but should
     consider upgrading or changing their OS.
     Win8.1 still works but only Win10 is regularly tested.

https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/RELEASE-NOTES

That means I will prefer to upgrade my PC to the version of the windows that supports Electrum , I prefer using Electrum on PC and using Bisq for buying and selling. I hope windows 10 is good for the both softwares?
The problem we are facing at this part of the world is that we used pirated windows  and softwares. So when we installed softwares most of the drivers are missing from the windows so we have to look for it online and if we could not get it then we used the system like that. But I will try to upgrade my windows to Windows 10 and see what will happen. I have have bought new system but the inflation in my country as of right now is very high. A brand new system now is about $200+

[NeuroticFish]

There's also the option of running an airgapped Windows 11 Virtualbox VM just for Electrum

A VM tends to give a false sense of security, no matter how good you secure the VM. If the host system / actual PC has malware, may record the screen and get the wallet seed, isn't it?
Imho a much better option is a Live OS on a stick to boot from.

The problem we are facing at this part of the world is that we used pirated windows  and softwares. So when we installed softwares most of the drivers are missing from the windows so we have to look for it online and if we could not get it then we used the system like that. But I will try to upgrade my windows to Windows 10 and see what will happen. I have have bought new system but the inflation in my country as of right now is very high. A brand new system now is about $200+

Windows 10 can run very well without license. No time limit. And the only limitation you may actually feel will be that you won't be allowed to change the desktop image (and it may show the not registered watermark); imho neither of them would be a big deal.
The only problem is to see for yourself if Win10 doesn't make the PC unbearably slow, especially at booting (do you have SSD on that PC?).

[o_e_l_e_o]

Is there any reason you are absolutely tied to Windows? Any software you are using which only works on Windows?

If not, then I would strongly consider moving to good Linux distro. Not only will it be open source which Windows isn't, but it will be better in terms of security and privacy, it will be much lighter in terms of requirements, it will run faster, and you will easily be able to find and install any drivers or packages which you need. Even if you've never used Linux before, there are distros designed exactly for this purpose which are easy to install and use. Linux Mint is the closest to Windows in terms of look and feel.

[n0nce]

Is there any reason you are absolutely tied to Windows? Any software you are using which only works on Windows?

If not, then I would strongly consider moving to good Linux distro. Not only will it be open source which Windows isn't, but it will be better in terms of security and privacy, it will be much lighter in terms of requirements, it will run faster, and you will easily be able to find and install any drivers or packages which you need. Even if you've never used Linux before, there are distros designed exactly for this purpose which are easy to install and use. Linux Mint is the closest to Windows in terms of look and feel.

I don't recommend using Ubuntu-based distros though, if performance is an issue.
Luckily, OpenSUSE is pretty light and I even have the perfect full node install guides for it..

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.

I wouldn't recommend Wasabi as a desktop wallet (or any other use case). As others pointed out, the tried & tested 'classic' is Electrum, but you may also want to check out Sparrow.
Sparrow even still runs on Windows 7, actually! https://sparrowwallet.com/download/

[Agbe]

Is there any reason you are absolutely tied to Windows? Any software you are using which only works on Windows?

If not, then I would strongly consider moving to good Linux distro. Not only will it be open source which Windows isn't, but it will be better in terms of security and privacy, it will be much lighter in terms of requirements, it will run faster, and you will easily be able to find and install any drivers or packages which you need. Even if you've never used Linux before, there are distros designed exactly for this purpose which are easy to install and use. Linux Mint is the closest to Windows in terms of look and feel.

I don't recommend using Ubuntu-based distros though, if performance is an issue.
Luckily, OpenSUSE is pretty light and I even have the perfect full node install guides for it..

As for the Wasabi. Yes I know that Wasabi and Bisq have no connection but I need a PC wallet that was why I was asking n0nce to send me the link.

I wouldn't recommend Wasabi as a desktop wallet (or any other use case). As others pointed out, the tried & tested 'classic' is Electrum, but you may also want to check out Sparrow.
Sparrow even still runs on Windows 7, actually! https://sparrowwallet.com/download/

Since when I start using Computer, it is windows that I have been using so I can't use another operating system. I started using from windows X to windows. I am very good in windows x and windows 7, for windows 8 to 10 I have used them but I can't use it them the way I was windows x and 8.
But early last year I went for a computer seminar and I installed Ubuntu in my pc but I could not used so I had to format the system and changed it to windows 8 yet not satisfied then I changed it to windows 7 last month.

One thing I discovered from Linux and Ubuntu. They have the same interface, and since I have not use them I will prefer windows to them.

Ubuntu OS


Linux OS

[o_e_l_e_o]

Since when I start using Computer, it is windows that I have been using so I can't use another operating system.

And there was a time when you couldn't use Windows either. "I can't use it yet" is not really a reason to never try anything new, since anything new will be, well, new. Linux is no more harder to "get the hang of" than Windows is.

They have the same interface, and since I have not use them I will prefer windows to them.

Which is why I suggested Linux Mint. If you do an image search for Linux Mint, you will see the interface is very similar to that of Windows (as well as being completely customizable to your own personal taste).

Still, if you are dead set on Windows you should at least upgrade to a non-insecure version, since continuing to use a very outdated Windows 7 risks the security of your coins.

[NotATether]

Linux OS

The beauty about Linux is this is not the only interface available (which is named GNOME by the way), you can use another interface called KDE that looks almost exactly like Windows.

Linux Mint is also a good choice as it uses an interface that's another clone of Windows (Cinnamon).

[dkbit98]

Is there any reason you are absolutely tied to Windows? Any software you are using which only works on Windows?

Maybe wiNd0ws Defender? I heard stories that it can protect and defend you from all ''attackers''  

I don't recommend using Ubuntu-based distros though, if performance is an issue.
Luckily, OpenSUSE is pretty light and I even have the perfect full node install guides for it..

Me neither, I stopped using all Ubuntu based distros.
I think that Debian is much lighter than Ubuntu, and Fedora is getting more users but I wouldn't exactly called it light distro.
Bisq works great there and can easily be installed with -rpm package.

The beauty about Linux is this is not the only interface available (which is named GNOME by the way), you can use another interface called KDE that looks almost exactly like Windows.

Both of this are a bit heavy, so for people that want to use lighter DE I would recommend trying XFCE, or even lighter Lxqt or Lxde.

[n0nce]

One thing I discovered from Linux and Ubuntu ^{[emphasis mine]}. They have the same interface, and since I have not use them I will prefer windows to them.

Ubuntu OS


Linux OS

I'd just like to point out that Ubuntu is Linux. Just one of the dozens of popular Linux distributions available. Many share a very similar GUI, while you can actually even change the GUI (window manager) after you installed a distro. You could have the operating system of your second screenshot with the look you see in the first.
One of the many powerful features that you only get with Linux.

I think that Debian is much lighter than Ubuntu, and Fedora is getting more users but I wouldn't exactly called it light distro.
Bisq works great there and can easily be installed with -rpm package.

It is! Ubuntu = Debian + [bloat].
Fedora looks like a great daily driver to me. Makes sense that it's gaining popularity.

[dkbit98]

It is! Ubuntu = Debian + [bloat].
Fedora looks like a great daily driver to me. Makes sense that it's gaining popularity.

Only problem I see with Fedora is the license stuff that is related with their main Red Hat linux parent distribution, recently there was a lot of fuss around this so cou would need to install RPM Fusion manually.
Regarding Bisq and LinuxOS, I found information from one of their team members that best supporting distribution currently is Debian and most of their derivates like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.
Most people probably won't have any issues with other distributions, but you can't expect them to fix any potential probelms.

[DireWolfM14]

I think that Debian is much lighter than Ubuntu, and Fedora is getting more users but I wouldn't exactly called it light distro.
Bisq works great there and can easily be installed with -rpm package.

It is! Ubuntu = Debian + [bloat].
Fedora looks like a great daily driver to me. Makes sense that it's gaining popularity.

The Debian base OS is lighter than Ubuntu's base OS, but only by a small margin.  Ubuntu comes with the Snap Package Manager pre-installed (which can be handy for newbies who plan to install a desktop environment,) and it also comes with a couple of tools pre-installed which I find handy, UFW for example.

For Linux newbies who want a Desktop environment I recommend Ubuntu, but only the minimal version.  I feel that's probably the most user-friendly Linux distro for those crossing over from Windows.  The Ubuntu Desktop ISO makes it really easy to install the minimal version.  I've been using Debian for my servers lately, but Debian plus Gnome Desktop includes far more bloat than Ubuntu Minimal.  Maybe I'm missing something during the install, but the last thing I want to do is install a new OS, then spend hours uninstalling bloatware.

As for Desktop Environments; I'm an unabashed Windows user (I have my reasons) and I've played with XFCE and KDE, as well Cinnamon, but I still find the Gnome Desktop the most practical for Linux.  YMMV.

[Agbe]

Ubuntu (Linux) version 20 does not accept most of the softwares used in other windows. Because of that I am planning to uninstall it again from my PC. Is it that Ubuntu (Linux) uses a specific or special softwares and drivers? Or Is it airgap issue? In fact after installing Linux I downloaded bisq to install but it is written

could not display "13"
There is no application installed "SQLite3 database" files

. I have been trying to use Bisq in my PC but the windows couldn't display so I was recommended to used Ubuntu Linux yet, it's even worst than the windows OS.

[n0nce]

I think that Debian is much lighter than Ubuntu, and Fedora is getting more users but I wouldn't exactly called it light distro.
Bisq works great there and can easily be installed with -rpm package.

It is! Ubuntu = Debian + [bloat].
Fedora looks like a great daily driver to me. Makes sense that it's gaining popularity.

The Debian base OS is lighter than Ubuntu's base OS, but only by a small margin.  Ubuntu comes with the Snap Package Manager pre-installed (which can be handy for newbies who plan to install a desktop environment,) and it also comes with a couple of tools pre-installed which I find handy, UFW for example.

The main thing that bothers me about Ubuntu is the closed-source components and telemetry that you have to manually turn off.
It reminds me of Windows and some of the main reasons to switch away from it.

Small packages like ufw can be installed in a few seconds with any package manager, so it doesn't outweigh the downsides for me.

Ubuntu (Linux) version 20 does not accept most of the softwares used in other windows. Because of that I am planning to uninstall it again from my PC. Is it that Ubuntu (Linux) uses a specific or special softwares and drivers? Or Is it airgap issue?

My friend. Are you serious? You are trying to run Windows software on Linux; of course it doesn't work. You need to download the Linux version.
When you're on a download page and you have 3 options: 'Windows', 'MacOS', 'Linux' - just select Linux and you'll be set.
It's clear from your last screenshot that you downloaded an exe. A Windows executable.

In fact after installing Linux I downloaded bisq to install but it is written

could not display "13"
There is no application installed "SQLite3 database" files

Yeah; because you're trying to open random internal Bisq files, that you don't need and shouldn't try, to open.

I have been trying to use Bisq in my PC but the windows couldn't display so I was recommended to used Ubuntu Linux yet, it's even worst than the windows OS.

If you actually downloaded the Linux version of it, it would run fine.
You obviously went here: https://bisq.network/downloads/ And clicked on 'Windows'. That's your mistake.

Click on the '.deb' (under Debian/Ubuntu section) and install that.

[dkbit98]

The main thing that bothers me about Ubuntu is the closed-source components and telemetry that you have to manually turn off.
It reminds me of Windows and some of the main reasons to switch away from it.

Ubuntu is totally giving me wInD0ws OS vibes, and I think they even have some kind of partnership with micr0soft.
Debian is much better because there is no crap added, it's just vanilla clean experience, but problem with Debian is very old supported software.
There are much better stable alternatives if someone wants to be more up to date with kernel and software updates.

Click on the '.deb' (under Debian/Ubuntu section) and install that.

There is a chance windows files would run in Ubuntu if Wine was installed, but I think Bisq exchange would not run that great.

[BlackHatCoiner]

I have been trying to use Bisq in my PC but the windows couldn't display so I was recommended to used Ubuntu Linux yet, it's even worst than the windows OS.

Average Windows user's Linux experience. 

As I see you're a Linux newbie: don't mess things up. If you don't know what you're doing, use a search engine. The fact that you tried to execute a .exe file on a Linux environment tells me that you shouldn't involve yourself in this fuss. Better check out what's wrong with Windows than setting up an unknown to you OS, just to use a program.

Ubuntu is totally giving me wInD0ws OS vibes, and I think they even have some kind of partnership with micr0soft.

Still, the user-friendliest and stablest Linux distro I've ever used.

[DireWolfM14]

The main thing that bothers me about Ubuntu is the closed-source components and telemetry that you have to manually turn off.
It reminds me of Windows and some of the main reasons to switch away from it.

Small packages like ufw can be installed in a few seconds with any package manager, so it doesn't outweigh the downsides for me.

Again, my words should be taken in regards to one of the distros with a Desktop environment installed, and not the base OS alone.  Manually turning off the closed source components of Ubuntu also takes mere seconds, but uninstalling the bloat that gets installed with Debian/Gnome takes much longer.  Since Agbe is the target of my recommendation and he's been clear that he has very little experience with Linux, I'm assuming that he will be installing a Desktop environment via GUI features.

There is a way to install Debian and Gnome (or any DTE) without all the bloat by doing so manually from the command line using the --noinstallrecommends flag, but again I am assuming that is a bit advanced for him.

Considering his machine's lack of resources and his lack of experience I'm still convinced that installing Ubuntu Minimal is the best recommendation we can give him.

Ubuntu is totally giving me wInD0ws OS vibes, and I think they even have some kind of partnership with micr0soft.

Still, the user-friendliest and stablest Linux distro I've ever used.

If we're talking about DTEs I totally agree.  Ubuntu is basically Debian under the hood, so stability isn't really an issue in either case if you only plan to use the CLI.  In fact I would say that Debian is probably a bit more stable since it's essentially just the nuts and bolts needed to run a PC.  If a DTE is to be installed Ubuntu is the most user friendly Linux OS I've used.

[RickDeckard]

Even bitrefill collects personal data, as described in their privacy policy.  I haven't used them, nor do I have an account, but I suspect the data they require depends largely on the services you request.  I don't suspect they need much to for purchasing giftcards, but I imagine they would need your real name and address to pay bills, not to mention your account number for the service provider the payment is be made.

The ideal scenario would be for most service providers and retailers to start accepting bitcoin directly.

This is an interesting question, at least for me regarding Bisq: What would you say is the most anonymous way of trading FIAT for BTC for example using the platform? I assume that using a traditional Bank or even a fintech one (such as Revolut) still links your real identity to some user (the vendor) whom you trust to not gather your information (at least real name and IBAN).

According to their payment methods[1] almost all of them leave some kind of trace to your real identity - even Amazon cards transactions. The best of them all would be F2F but even that depends on the availability within a country. I wonder, what is your way of buying BTC using Bisq @n0nce and @DireWolfm14?

[1]https://docs.bisq.network/payment-methods