OK, so i have a wallet.dat file that once had 274bch but 250 was moved. And so if you open up the file in notepad, in the first group labeled address history, it lists all the addresses that belong to my private key, correct? Well at the end of the list is an address which when you look it up on the block chain explorer, shows the 24bch left, however when I import the wallet it shows a zero balance. What gives?
Are you talking about bitcoin or bitcoin cash? Which one? Wallet.dat is for bitcoin and Bitcoin Core wallet specifically, not for Bitcoin Cash. Files backup can be opened in a note file, but you have to import your private key or seed phrase or the wallet file on a supported wallet. But to give you a very good answer to this, you will have to tell us the coin you are talking about, the wallet you use for it. Just to know if it is Bitcoin Core you are talking about or a Bitcoin cash seed phrase wallet.