Suspected damaged wallet.dat

[btbtcbtc]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.
Whether I try the bitcoin core 0.14.2 or the bitcoin 27.0, it turns out to be the same.
The wallet.dat might be corrupted because I might copy it while the bitcoin core was running.
I tried pywallet to dump the private keys but the none of them is the right one.
Also I tried btcrecover, and it said the wallet.dat is unencrypted.

Now I don't know what else to do but to ask for help, guys please help!

[LoyceV]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.

It sounds like you created this backup before you encrypted the wallet. When you encrypt it, it creates new private keys. If it was funded before you encrypted it, those keys would still be in there. But if you only funded the wallet after you encrypted it, the backup you made before you encrypted it became useless.

[BitMaxz]

If you still have access to the drive where the original wallet was created, you can still be able to recover it even if it was deleted from that drive.
I don't know what command you use in Pywallet if it's just dump, then try other commands to retrieve these private keys.
Check the links from the quoted below

There is already a guide here how to do it check this link below.

- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38004.0

Or try the command posted here below

- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5408068.msg60653031#msg60653031

[btbtcbtc]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.

It sounds like you created this backup before you encrypted the wallet. When you encrypt it, it creates new private keys. If it was funded before you encrypted it, those keys would still be in there. But if you only funded the wallet after you encrypted it, the backup you made before you encrypted it became useless.

I am not so sure about it. But that reminds me something, thank you.

If you still have access to the drive where the original wallet was created, you can still be able to recover it even if it was deleted from that drive.
I don't know what command you use in Pywallet if it's just dump, then try other commands to retrieve these private keys.
Check the links from the quoted below

There is already a guide here how to do it check this link below.

- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38004.0

Or try the command posted here below

- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5408068.msg60653031#msg60653031

The original drive was a corrupted SSD which is in a data recovery process,
and it probably won't work because it has been 6 years, I was told there were many electron dislocation on the nands.

[BlackBoss_]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.

With any Bitcoin wallet software, you must connect your Bitcoin wallet to Internet, sync it with Bitcoin blockchain to have a correct balance figure. Exemption is cold wallets that must be kept offline and don't connect to Internet.

Your information is vague and very confusing with me. Would you mind explaining how did you open an encrypted wallet if you don't have a wallet password, and how did you see the balance without unencrypt it for opening it, please.

Even with SPV wallet like Electrum wallet, you must open your wallet (with or without wallet password, depends on how you set up your wallet previously), you must have a green icon that signals your wallet is already fully synced, then you will see the wallet balance shown by Electrum wallet software.

Without a complete synchronisation with Bitcoin blockchain, information on UTXOs in your walelt is not correct, then balance is inaccurate too.

[nc50lc]

Your information is vague and very confusing with me. Would you mind explaining how did you open an encrypted wallet if you don't have a wallet password, and how did you see the balance without unencrypt it for opening it, please.

Anyone that used Bitcoin Core can answer that; it can load and open wallets without providing the passphrase. (Core uses the term passphrase)
But in any case, OP clearly described that somehow, the wallet.dat backup that he has isn't encrypted
And for the balance, he mentioned "after the whole blockchain sync".
The information isn't vague at all.

and it probably won't work because it has been 6 years, I was told there were many electron dislocation on the nands.

You can try to recover individual keys if the whole wallet isn't recoverable.
Some encrypted private keys may have survived, I'm sure the professionals will provide you a recovered image copy of the drive where you can try various tools like pywallet --recover.

[btbtcbtc]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.

It sounds like you created this backup before you encrypted the wallet. When you encrypt it, it creates new private keys. If it was funded before you encrypted it, those keys would still be in there. But if you only funded the wallet after you encrypted it, the backup you made before you encrypted it became useless.

There was a transaction in 8/2017. The backup was in 12/2017.
If I encrypted it before 12/2017, the backup should be OK.
And if I encrypted it after 12/2017,  I suppose to see a transaction history but there is just nothing.

[LoyceV]

There was a transaction in 8/2017. The backup was in 12/2017.
If I encrypted it before 12/2017, the backup should be OK.
And if I encrypted it after 12/2017,  I suppose to see a transaction history but there is just nothing.

It sounds like you're looking at the backup of a different wallet.

[btbtcbtc]

There was a transaction in 8/2017. The backup was in 12/2017.
If I encrypted it before 12/2017, the backup should be OK.
And if I encrypted it after 12/2017,  I suppose to see a transaction history but there is just nothing.

It sounds like you're looking at the backup of a different wallet.

That would be the most desperating thing in the world, since the data recovery has a slim chance.

[mcdouglasx]

Are you sure you didn't create another wallet? You mention that the wallet might have been damaged, yet at the same time you can load it in Core, which is strange since Core processes it normally. If you made a backup while Core was running (hot backup), it's possible that changes to the .dat file weren't saved. Core might have preserved those changes in memory only, although I'm not entirely sure what Core was doing at that moment. You might have created an address after the backup and completed transactions after that, which explains why they don't appear, and you need to regenerate them. What I think happened is that you had Bitcoin Core running 24/7, and when you encrypted or copied the backup, Core hadn't saved those changes to the .dat file.

[BitMaxz]

The original drive was a corrupted SSD which is in a data recovery process,
and it probably won't work because it has been 6 years, I was told there were many electron dislocation on the nands.

If it can still be recognized in your PC or laptop, you can still be able to recover files from a corrupted SSD even if it was 6 years ago. I don't know what you mean by Electron dislocation it must be a cold solder joints?

If I'm right, then try to disassemble the SSD card and clean the whole board with isopropyl alcohol or lighter fluid (it also work) once you've done that, check the terminals for rust. You can use an eraser from a pencil to clean the terminals.

Test it out if it's detected, I suggest make a clone of that drive so you need extra working drive to make clone then the clone one use that to recover wallet.dat data.

If it still not recognize by your PC try heating the NAND ICs Since you are not a technician, try using a hair blower; sometimes it works on cold solder joints. then test it again.

If nothing else works or any suggestion here I suggest hire a professional recovery service. This isn't cheap, but if you're sure that you have a big amount in that wallet, why not hire a professional?

[takuma sato]

Im not sure what pywallet is. A wallet.dat file is a wallet created in Bitcoin Core, unless im missing something about pywallet. Anyway what I would do is open the wallet.dat file in a text editor, and ctrl+f to search for something, there type "address" and try to find any existing addresses. If you can find any recieving addresses, then look it up on a blockchain explorer and see if there are any funds. None of the Bitcoin Core versions encrypt this information, so they should be able to be found with a text editor. If you cannot find any receiving addresses, then I doubt you have the private keys there.

[nc50lc]

Im not sure what pywallet is. A wallet.dat file is a wallet created in Bitcoin Core, unless im missing something about pywallet.

It's a third-party tool compatible with legacy wallet.dat files that can do various things to it, not another kind of wallet.

Anyway what I would do is open the wallet.dat file in a text editor, and ctrl+f to search for something, there type "address" and try to find any existing addresses.

In that method, the human-readable string to search should be "name".
But although it works, it shouldn't be relied on since the wallet can be an old outdated backup (not synced) which doesn't have to full history and used address list.

[Floxynice]

I had a backup of my wallet.dat a few years ago, which was encrypted for sure.
But when I try to reload it now, it shows 0 balance and no historical transactions after the whole blockchain sync, and it is weird that the option of encrypt wallet is available.
Whether I try the bitcoin core 0.14.2 or the bitcoin 27.0, it turns out to be the same.
The wallet.dat might be corrupted because I might copy it while the bitcoin core was running.
I tried pywallet to dump the private keys but the none of them is the right one.
Also I tried btcrecover, and it said the wallet.dat is unencrypted.

Now I don't know what else to do but to ask for help, guys please help!

I might not be able to provide a perfect solution for this, but I have been thinking; it could really be possible that you copied the wallet.dat when the Bitcoin core has not fully updated. There are many possibilities here because it is sounding strange to me that wallet balance is showing zero yet there are no transactions history to this effect. Maybe it happens, I don't really know and I will love to be cleared on how all this happens just so I can take precautionary measures for myself too.

[nochkin]

When you encrypt it, it creates new private keys.

Unless I misunderstood you, are sure this is the case?
I just tried to create a new wallet and then dumped the keys. Then I encrypted it and dumped the keys again. I see the same private keys.

[nc50lc]

When you encrypt it, it creates new private keys.

Unless I misunderstood you, are sure this is the case?
I just tried to create a new wallet and then dumped the keys. Then I encrypted it and dumped the keys again. I see the same private keys.

The other parts of Loyce's reply already explained it.

Encryption will not get rid of the old used private keys, those stay in the wallet, it'll just generate new set of keys (for non-HD) or create a new HDSeed (for HD).
Bitcoin Core will then issue those new keys / new HDseed when the user request for new addresses.
If it's HD, you can check the dump file for "hdseed" and you'll find two in the latter; "hdseed" and "inactivehdseed".

So, if OP backed-up an old unencrypted wallet.dat but used the wallet after it's encrypted, that backup wont be able to re-create the keys created after encryption.