can't access electrum wallet

[o_e_l_e_o]

It sounds very much like both the wallet file and the seed phrase you have are in no way connected to the addresses you have been withdrawing bitcoin to.

In addition to the advice above regarding searching for other wallet files on your computer, do you have any other seed phrases or back ups you could try? And are you certain you never used a passphrase? You might have added one while mistakenly believing you were simply adding a password to your wallet file.

Where did you even copy the addresses to withdraw to in the first place, because it doesn't seem like they came from this wallet.

[atrocious hindwind]

It sounds very much like both the wallet file and the seed phrase you have are in no way connected to the addresses you have been withdrawing bitcoin to.

In addition to the advice above regarding searching for other wallet files on your computer, do you have any other seed phrases or back ups you could try? And are you certain you never used a passphrase? You might have added one while mistakenly believing you were simply adding a password to your wallet file.

Where did you even copy the addresses to withdraw to in the first place, because it doesn't seem like they came from this wallet.

Since I opened the wallet I did nothing to change anything. I simply made purchases and had them sent to the wallet address. The blockchain and Coinmama both verified the purchases. I didn't do anything with the seedphrase and know nothing about passphrases and have always had the same password to open the wallet. I opened the wallet a few days ago with the thought of selling my bitcoin. The balance was "0". That's when all this started. I really do appreciate all your efforts, and all the others on here, to help me with recovering this wallet but I'm afraid I don't have the savvy to follow the instructions. I'm sure if I were sitting right beside you with this computer we could get it done. At this point I think I'll see if I can find a reputable computer shop to see if they can recover this wallet. If I can't do that I think I'm just going to have to live with knowing I have a wallet out there I can't get to and take the loss. Thanks a million o_e-l_e_o and all for your patience and kindness.

[atrocious hindwind]

Hey folks, yes, I'm still goofing with this wallet. I just went back and tried the "ismine" thing again and finally got a response: "false". Is it possible this opens the door to finally getting somewhere with this wallet?

[khaled0111]

^^
This means the address you have been sending coins to doesn't belong to your wallet. Am saying this because I don't think you have generated more than 20 addresses. Usually, anyone will just click the receive button and copy the first generated wallet.
You either recovered the wrong wallet, you copied the receiving address from somewhere else or your device is infected with the clipboard malware (although unlikely since the coins didn't move).
Can you share the address you used to receive the coins with us?

[litecoin_messiah]

Hey folks, yes, I'm still goofing with this wallet. I just went back and tried the "ismine" thing again and finally got a response: "false". Is it possible this opens the door to finally getting somewhere with this wallet?

If your in the uk hit me a pm.

[nc50lc]

Hey folks, yes, I'm still goofing with this wallet. I just went back and tried the "ismine" thing again and finally got a response: "false". Is it possible this opens the door to finally getting somewhere with this wallet?

Read my previous reply in the first page, here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5445664.msg61949989#msg61949989

Using that command in Electrum is the same as checking the addresses in the 'Addresses' tab.
You haven't found it in your list of addresses so it's expected to return a "false" result.

[atrocious hindwind]

^^
This means the address you have been sending coins to doesn't belong to your wallet. Am saying this because I don't think you have generated more than 20 addresses. Usually, anyone will just click the receive button and copy the first generated wallet.
You either recovered the wrong wallet, you copied the receiving address from somewhere else or your device is infected with the clipboard malware (although unlikely since the coins didn't move).
Can you share the address you used to receive the coins with us?

1N8vh3M4Kbj4aF5nBSnP44vLRzdbAxBprx

this is the address I copy and pasted onto the vendor's site. I did nothing else expecting the coin to show up in the wallet. (I understand no physical coin is moved, just data.) I was asked earlier if any coin ever showed up in the wallet and I honestly don't remember.  According to blockchain.com all my purchases are listed correctly and, apparently, never migrated to the wallet. Is the above given address supposed to show up in the list of addresses shown under the "addresses" tab in the wallet? It doesn't. Was my wallet corrupt right from the start? Since the blockchain shows the coin residing in the above address and they never came to the wallet does that mean they are, essentially, unrecoverable? Multiple attempts to new/restore the wallet keep generating copies of the original just with a new name like wallet_1. I've tried to delete everything Electrum from this PC and tried a new download only to get the same thing when I enter the 12 seed words. It looks like I am locked out from ever accessing the bitcoin I bought with this wallet address.

[LoyceV]

2. Since I opened the electrum wallet I have not conducted any transactions other than purchase coin. I don't know where these addresses came from. They appear when I click the "addresses" tab on the wallet. Honestly, it's been so long since I was in this wallet I don't remember if I ever saw a balance of more than "0". I think, early on, a balance did show but I'm not absolutely sure. I found it easier to check the blockchain site. All the addresses begin with bc1q.

It sounds like you've been sending money to someone else's address for the last 2 years. You've been using a legacy address (starting with 1).

I just looked at my account history on the site where I bought all my coin.

Which site is this?

1N8vh3M4Kbj4aF5nBSnP44vLRzdbAxBprx

this is the address I copy and pasted onto the vendor's site.

Where did you get this address?

Is the above given address supposed to show up in the list of addresses shown under the "addresses" tab in the wallet?

If the address is part of your wallet, then yes, it should show up in the Addresses list.

Was my wallet corrupt right from the start? Since the blockchain shows the coin residing in the above address and they never came to the wallet does that mean they are, essentially, unrecoverable?

"The blockchain" doesn't know who owns the address. If you somehow copied someone else's address, someone else may be able to recover the funds. But since nothing was spent in the past 2 years, we can't know for sure.

It looks like I am locked out from ever accessing the bitcoin I bought with this wallet address.

Try to remember what exactly you did to get that wallet. Clearly, it didn't come from your Electrum wallet with bc1q-addresses.

[atrocious hindwind]

2. Since I opened the electrum wallet I have not conducted any transactions other than purchase coin. I don't know where these addresses came from. They appear when I click the "addresses" tab on the wallet. Honestly, it's been so long since I was in this wallet I don't remember if I ever saw a balance of more than "0". I think, early on, a balance did show but I'm not absolutely sure. I found it easier to check the blockchain site. All the addresses begin with bc1q.

It sounds like you've been sending money to someone else's address for the last 2 years. You've been using a legacy address (starting with 1).

I just looked at my account history on the site where I bought all my coin.

Which site is this?

1N8vh3M4Kbj4aF5nBSnP44vLRzdbAxBprx

this is the address I copy and pasted onto the vendor's site.

Where did you get this address?

Is the above given address supposed to show up in the list of addresses shown under the "addresses" tab in the wallet?

If the address is part of your wallet, then yes, it should show up in the Addresses list.

Was my wallet corrupt right from the start? Since the blockchain shows the coin residing in the above address and they never came to the wallet does that mean they are, essentially, unrecoverable?

"The blockchain" doesn't know who owns the address. If you somehow copied someone else's address, someone else may be able to recover the funds. But since nothing was spent in the past 2 years, we can't know for sure.

It looks like I am locked out from ever accessing the bitcoin I bought with this wallet address.

Try to remember what exactly you did to get that wallet. Clearly, it didn't come from your Electrum wallet with bc1q-addresses.

The site is Coinmama.

I got it from the top of the wallet.

I went to the Electrum.org site for the download. When I purchased the bc I was asked to enter the wallet address. I put in the 1N8vh.... address on the top of the wallet. Should I have chosen an address from the list of addresses? If so, I was unaware of that.

[LoyceV]

The site is Coinmama.

That sounds legit.

I got it from the top of the wallet.

I went to the Electrum.org site for the download. When I purchased the bc I was asked to enter the wallet address. I put in the 1N8vh.... address on the top of the wallet. Should I have chosen an address from the list of addresses? If so, I was unaware of that.

What do you mean with "from the top of the wallet"? The top-address on the Addresses list is fine. If you would have created one on the Receive tab, that's fine too. I don't have an address "on the top", so I'm not sure what you mean.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I went to the Electrum.org site for the download. When I purchased the bc I was asked to enter the wallet address. I put in the 1N8vh.... address on the top of the wallet.

What is the timeline here? How soon before your first withdrawal from Coinmama did you set up the Electrum wallet?

I ask because the first transaction to that address was on April 20th, 2021. However, approximately one month earlier, Electrum released version 4.1.0 which stopped generating legacy seed phrases and legacy addresses (without going through the console) and started generating segwit seed phrases and segwit addresses instead. Such addresses would start with "bc1", and not look like the legacy address which you have shared.

[atrocious hindwind]

The site is Coinmama.

That sounds legit.

I got it from the top of the wallet.

I went to the Electrum.org site for the download. When I purchased the bc I was asked to enter the wallet address. I put in the 1N8vh.... address on the top of the wallet. Should I have chosen an address from the list of addresses? If so, I was unaware of that.

What do you mean with "from the top of the wallet"? The top-address on the Addresses list is fine. If you would have created one on the Receive tab, that's fine too. I don't have an address "on the top", so I'm not sure what you mean.

I think I've figured out what happened through this line of questioning. Could it be the address (1N8vh...) I copied is not, in fact, the address but the name of the wallet? By not knowing, I should have gone into the wallet and selected a "receive" address from the list and an amount so the bc could be routed correctly? If this is what happened I suppose this is a fatal error on my part and, given the security protocols, the bc can not be moved out of 1N8vh... since there is no such address owner.

[LoyceV]

Could it be the address (1N8vh...) I copied is not, in fact, the address but the name of the wallet?

Unlikely. The default wallet is named default_wallet, and that's not something you accidentally change into a Bitcoin address.

One possibility is clipboard malware, although I haven't read about malware that replaces a bc1q-address with a legacy ("1") address. And if that's the case, I would have expected the funds to be moved by now.

If this is what happened I suppose this is a fatal error on my part and, given the security protocols, the bc can not be moved out of 1N8vh... since there is no such address owner.

It's unlikely you create an address by just typing it (I think there's about a 1 in 4 billion chance to type a correct checksum), so it's much more likely the address was created from a private key.
Your "fatal error" is not checking your wallet after the first withdrawal. Checking block explorers isn't enough if the address doesn't belong to your wallet.

[atrocious hindwind]

Could it be the address (1N8vh...) I copied is not, in fact, the address but the name of the wallet?

Unlikely. The default wallet is named default_wallet, and that's not something you accidentally change into a Bitcoin address.

One possibility is clipboard malware, although I haven't read about malware that replaces a bc1q-address with a legacy ("1") address. And if that's the case, I would have expected the funds to be moved by now.

If this is what happened I suppose this is a fatal error on my part and, given the security protocols, the bc can not be moved out of 1N8vh... since there is no such address owner.

It's unlikely you create an address by just typing it (I think there's about a 1 in 4 billion chance to type a correct checksum), so it's much more likely the address was created from a private key.
Your "fatal error" is not checking your wallet after the first withdrawal. Checking block explorers isn't enough if the address doesn't belong to your wallet.

This is the top line of my wallet:  Electrum 4.3.4 - 1N8vh... [standard]

I don't know if it matters but I did open an electrum wallet on my phone. It seems somewhat different than the PC version. I don't see the 1Nvh... number on there anywhere. I just recently opened this wallet when I discovered the problem I have. Haven't done anything with it except look at it. I don't think the two are connected in any way.

Regardless, is it your expert opinion the bc showing on the blockchain under 1N8vh... is "locked" there having no way to be moved to my wallet or anywhere else for that matter? (Is this the kind of thing "miners"  look for?) It's really not that much money to go further down this rabbit hole any deeper.

[LoyceV]

This is the top line of my wallet:  Electrum 4.3.4 - 1N8vh... [standard]

All of this is normal, except for that "1N8vh..." is at the place where your wallet's name is. That means it is actually the name of your wallet, and that should not be a Bitcoin address.
Did you create this wallet by yourself? Or did someone "help" you do this? Did you get a phone call, or email, telling you what to do?

I don't know if it matters but I did open an electrum wallet on my phone. It seems somewhat different than the PC version. I don't see the 1Nvh... number on there anywhere. I just recently opened this wallet when I discovered the problem I have. Haven't done anything with it except look at it. I don't think the two are connected in any way.

It sounds like it's unrelated.

Regardless, is it your expert opinion the bc showing on the blockchain under 1N8vh... is "locked" there having no way to be moved to my wallet or anywhere else for that matter?

Like all Bitcoins, it can only be moved by someone with access to the private key.

(Is this the kind of thing "miners"  look for?)

No. Miners don't look for lost coins, but scammers prey on Newbies (and on experienced members too).

It's really not that much money to go further down this rabbit hole any deeper.

I'd say dig a bit deeper. Try to remember what exactly you did when you created the wallet. How did it get it's name ("1N8vh...")?

[atrocious hindwind]

This is the top line of my wallet:  Electrum 4.3.4 - 1N8vh... [standard]

All of this is normal, except for that "1N8vh..." is at the place where your wallet's name is. That means it is actually the name of your wallet, and that should not be a Bitcoin address.
Did you create this wallet by yourself? Or did someone "help" you do this? Did you get a phone call, or email, telling you what to do?

I don't know if it matters but I did open an electrum wallet on my phone. It seems somewhat different than the PC version. I don't see the 1Nvh... number on there anywhere. I just recently opened this wallet when I discovered the problem I have. Haven't done anything with it except look at it. I don't think the two are connected in any way.

It sounds like it's unrelated.

Regardless, is it your expert opinion the bc showing on the blockchain under 1N8vh... is "locked" there having no way to be moved to my wallet or anywhere else for that matter?

Like all Bitcoins, it can only be moved by someone with access to the private key.

(Is this the kind of thing "miners"  look for?)

No. Miners don't look for lost coins, but scammers prey on Newbies (and on experienced members too).

It's really not that much money to go further down this rabbit hole any deeper.

I'd say dig a bit deeper. Try to remember what exactly you did when you created the wallet. How did it get it's name ("1N8vh...")?

Yes, I created the wallet on my own. Did a search for how to buy bitcoin and then looked at several wallets. Chose Electrum because it was highly rated. When I opened the download the Electrum 4.3.4 line was at the top along with the 1N8vh... no help from anyone. (I should have done a bit more reading up, it appears.)

I am totally in the dark about private keys. I've seen where they're listed in the pull-down menu but have no idea what to do with them. It just says sweep or export. Is there some kind of connection between them and the 1N8v... label that might give me access to the coin?

[LoyceV]

Yes, I created the wallet on my own. Did a search for how to buy bitcoin and then looked at several wallets. Chose Electrum because it was highly rated. When I opened the download the Electrum 4.3.4 line was at the top along with the 1N8vh... no help from anyone. (I should have done a bit more reading up, it appears.)

I think I can safely say Electrum didn't create that wallet name on it's own, so (somehow) you must have done it. If you can figure out how that happened, that might give you a clue.

I am totally in the dark about private keys. I've seen where they're listed in the pull-down menu but have no idea what to do with them. It just says sweep or export. Is there some kind of connection between them and the 1N8v... label that might give me access to the coin?

You don't just go from private keys in a new (bc1q) Electrum wallet to a legacy ("1") address without manually doing something.

[atrocious hindwind]

Yes, I created the wallet on my own. Did a search for how to buy bitcoin and then looked at several wallets. Chose Electrum because it was highly rated. When I opened the download the Electrum 4.3.4 line was at the top along with the 1N8vh... no help from anyone. (I should have done a bit more reading up, it appears.)

I think I can safely say Electrum didn't create that wallet name on it's own, so (somehow) you must have done it. If you can figure out how that happened, that might give you a clue.

I am totally in the dark about private keys. I've seen where they're listed in the pull-down menu but have no idea what to do with them. It just says sweep or export. Is there some kind of connection between them and the 1N8v... label that might give me access to the coin?

You don't just go from private keys in a new (bc1q) Electrum wallet to a legacy ("1") address without manually doing something.

I'm at a loss there, LoyceV. I knew going in I knew nothing about manipulating a wallet so I just loaded and ran the program. How it appeared on the screen and where the number came from was what I got when it opened. This was over two years ago but I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to this wallet that would generate any changes to the original download. I may have done something that buggered up the delivery of the bc but I don't recall even attempting to do so. That being said, I think it's time to drop it for now. For peace of mind and with great gratitude for your help, I'll admit I broke it somehow and paid the price.

[atrocious hindwind]

I went to the Electrum.org site for the download. When I purchased the bc I was asked to enter the wallet address. I put in the 1N8vh.... address on the top of the wallet.

What is the timeline here? How soon before your first withdrawal from Coinmama did you set up the Electrum wallet?

I ask because the first transaction to that address was on April 20th, 2021. However, approximately one month earlier, Electrum released version 4.1.0 which stopped generating legacy seed phrases and legacy addresses (without going through the console) and started generating segwit seed phrases and segwit addresses instead. Such addresses would start with "bc1", and not look like the legacy address which you have shared.

I think the download and the first purchase were close together. Certainly not nearly a month apart. Me being the dullard I am, perhaps I clicked on a download link that had not been updated. I don't know. I remember it being a 3. something version. When this problem started I upgraded to the 4.3.4 version hoping that might "fix" something. Your colleague on here, LoyceV, feels I may have changed something at the time of the initial purchase. They may be right. I can't categorically deny that. It seems I've broken/manipulated it beyond repair.

[nc50lc]

This is the top line of my wallet:  Electrum 4.3.4 - 1N8vh... [standard]

Does this "Install Window" seem familiar?:

Because that's where you've entered that "1N8vh" address that you may have copied from somewhere else.
I'm thinking that you may have it in your clipboard back then, pasted it there, then proceeded to create the wallet.

Have you been using other wallet(s) aside from Electrum before?