Tech Support for Unobtanium Newcomers

[IMZ]

Introduction: the Unobtanium community is committed to 'tech support' for newcomers -- it's how you get people to invest rather than speculate! Feel free to ask and ask and ask.


This is Benefactor
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=527500.4040


‘This is how you should do it:


1.  Start a new wallet.

2.  Add a bunch of receive addresses, (like 20, more than you think you need for a loong time.)

3.  Download blockchain.

4.  Encrypt wallet.

5. MAKE A BACKUP.

5.5  Optional:  Make additional backups as needed and store in safe places.

6.  Test wallet by receiving a small amount, ( < 0.11 UNO.)
6.5  Test wallet by sending that amount.

7.0 Optional for long-term wallet.  (Ignore this step for your petty cash hot wallet(s).):  Create a list of the receive addresses, so you can send to them.  List must have addresses perfectly copied - no errors!
7.1 Optional for long-term wallet.  (Ignore this step for your petty cash hot wallet(s).):  Take wallet completely offline.  {Programs/Roaming/Unobtanium} move all directories if you know what you are doing!  Your cold storage wallet doesn't have to be online for the blockchain to know those addresses are receiving additional funds while it is offline.  Just check the blockchain, not your cold storage wallet, to verify you have the funds.  Worst case is you only need the private keys on your backed-up wallet.dat file.  (Also make sure you never get confused which wallet.dat goes to which wallet, and don't overwrite them, etc.)

8.  Optional, but mandatory if applicable:  If you EVER add a single new receive address or change the passphrase or de-encrypt, you need new backups.

9.  Send funds to existing, backed-up receive addresses, and enjoy your Unobtanium!!!’

This is Mike
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=527500.4060

‘Well, transactions don't matter as those are stored inside the blockchain. But if you add or remove a send or receiving address, then yes, backup! The sending addresses don't matter much, but if you have a bunch, then having to re-enter them at some point sucks  

Also, NEVER keep an un-encrypted copy around!

If you create a new wallet, the initial wallet.dat will always contain the first receiving address, un-encrypted. Suppose you back that up and then encrypt the wallet.dat, and back that up as well. Now you send 100UNO to your default address, thinking you are safe because the wallet has been encrypted. But the original wallet.dat still exists, contains the same private key and is not encrypted.
Anyway, now you have 100UNO in the first address. You add a second address and send 15UNO to that. And someone else sends you 20UNO to your first address.
You wallet shows you have 135 UNO. You backup the wallet (do it once in a while anyway)

Now someone finds your unencrypted wallet.dat and imports that into his wallet application. He now has full access to the original address as that is stored inside the wallet.dat without password or anything! After syncing he sees 120UNO and sends them to another address. You lose the coins! Your wallet will show the transaction, 120UNO out, and 15UNO remain because the un-encrypted wallet.dat does not contain a private key for the second address that was added later so the thief does not have access to that.

Hope this sheds a bit of light on the importance of encryption and backing up  ’

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[cragv]

Great little summary from two very helpful posters. Thanks for sharing! I have a few thoughts to add that are probably already assumed for many, but may bear repeating for general consumption. In no particular order:

- Use a secure computer: ensure you perform your wallet creation and encryption on a known-secure computer. Never do this on a public computer or even on a work computer, as all of this is often monitored or at least susceptible to malicious software including key loggers, remote session logging or viewing, and so on. It's easier than you may realise to use computers for malicious purposes, even if you trust the owner (such as an employer or library network, etc.)

- No, really - make sure: ensure your known-secure computer really is known-secure. Keep your Windows or Apple updates current, use up-to-date anti-virus software and employ safe browsing practices. Taking that last point a bit further, you'd ideally not set up your encrypted wallet on a computer that is also used to access more shady parts of the web, including torrent sites, binary/alt groups, seedy forums or gallery/video sites... whatever places you'd be uncomfortable mentioning to your grandmother should ideally be accessed from a LIMITED user account rather than the single-user/Administrator account that is so commonly employed on Windows computers at least. You get the idea.

- Use the latest wallet: ensure you have downloaded the latest, official wallet software for whatever coin you're using. Get it from the official coin page rather than from forum links, etc.

- Employ good password strength and security: don't use easily-guessed number combinations or common password phrases such as 'god', 'sex', 'power', 'password', etc. Don't have the password written in any insecure location, or ideally at all (that includes the typical post-it note stuck under your keyboard - it's about as secret a place as a door key under the mat or pot plant). Try to use longer key phrases rather than focusing on just being complex. XKCD illustrates this nicely.

There are probably a few other things but that's what I've got for now. You can be as cautious as you want with encryption and address management, but if its all done on a compromised computer or with weak password theory, you may be wasting your time! In short, approach all of this with common sense and caution for best results! Cheers.

[BitcoinNational]

"One Delta Ten Tango"
TECH SUPPORT THREAD = activated

[cragv]

"One Delta Ten Tango"

I have it on good authority that the One Delta Ten Tango issue was identified as being a clear-cut case of Papa Echo Bravo Kilo Alpha Charlie with special emphasis on the papa. Not much you can do about that except remove all user rights and turn it off and on again. Anyway, onto more pressing matters...

Things to consider when planning your backup strategy
Everyone says to "make a backup". Make sure you understand how to do this and to make an informed decision on storage mediums and the need for risk management. A few rules of thumb:
- always keep encrypted wallets
- keep multiple copies of your data in multiple (SECURE!) physical locations. It's not much good having a wallet.dat file backed up in three places if they're:
  - all on the same hard drive, as it may fail or suffer logical or physical damage.
  - all on the same computer, as it may suffer electrical damage, be destroyed in a fire, or be stolen.
  - all on the same desk with a copy on your computer and a copy on your external hard drive or USB flash drive/s, as fire and theft remain a consolidating risk.
  - all in the same house, as fire and theft remain unaccounted for.
- if using an automated process for your backups, make sure you periodically test your backups! No use running daily backups if it's failing to save it where you think it is, or not at all!

Where to keep your backups
It's fine to keep one on your computer and one on your locally-connected external hard drive, as you're budgeting for the possibility of failure, corruption/accidental deletion, and so on. However, it is a good idea to also keep at least another copy:
- in a bank vault, which is expensive but pretty safe; and/or,
- on a backup tape that is stored in a safe deposit box somewhere; and/or,
- on an encrypted USB flash drive that you keep on your car key-ring or person at all times; and/or,
- on a paper copy in a lock-box or safe place that isn't in your house; and/or,
- in a locked/fire-proof box in your locked shed or garage; and/or,
- in a locked drawer at work or at a trusted family/friend's home or workplace; and/or,
- in an online, encrypted folder (if your philosophy allows such trust in cloud storage); and/or,
- scrawled in your own personal obfuscated or encrypted code in invisible/UV marker on the back of your outhouse door; and so on.

All of the above have various risks, expenses and inconveniences associated with them. Each person's situation is a little different so the idea is to consider the risks to your own data and the budget and resources you have to safely keep multiple copies of your most important data, including off-site backups in most cases.

In short, keep your wallet backups encrypted, safely stored and geographically separate as budget and resources allow.

[BitcoinNational]

@cragV good stuff ... http://www.dataretriever.com.au/ ... keep that link handy too if anyone needs PRO data recovery.

here is another cross posting from Ian

Regarding backup procedure.

Backup work load should be proportional to risk. Backing up after each transaction should not be an issue as long as your equipment is reliable. I'd hate to be running a point of sale running a backup process after each sale. It's dependent on individual usage and environment.

Step 1. Research and decide upon a backup procedure that adequately fits the situation at hand.
Crypto's are a new one for me and I'm only 90% happy with my current scenario (I have to many alts it can be a pain to keep up), though I'd still rather have them in my hands than a web wallet. Community is great, take advantage of that shared knowledge and experience. If you have the time, always lean towards more backup.

Step 2. Have reliable equipment.
I use SSD's in all my computers to eliminate shock damage, though the downside is a less recoverable media in case of equipment failure. I maintain regular hardware tests to compensate. The cost is higher but it lowers risks considerably. You wouldn't cross a desert in a 10 year old voltswagon which might die any moment. Don't store your wealth on a 10 year old ex government laptop which might die at any moment. If you don't have the cash to completely replace, consider always keeping your Hard Drives Fresh and never let them cook in overheating scenarios.

Step 3. Backup to alternate reliable equipment.
I have a double USB backup used alternatively. It's relatively cheap and easy, though the Bitcoin block chain might be a problem soon.

Step 4. Backup to alternate reliable equipment in an alternate physical location.
I have an external SSD for this part. This is intended to be my cold storage unit. Robust and shock proof it will stay in an alternate location. I also have a NAS which will when enough funds justify the effort and maintenance be part of a live backup system which can store the most precious of data live in cloud storage.

Step 5. Test your backup process.
No point doing all this work if your doing it wrong. Make sure it works. Test with small amounts.

As a side note some of my wallet backups are not encrypted. This is really bad, don't do this. Always encrypt. I saw it said earlier but it should be re-iterated. If someone gets hold of an old backup file (you throw out a computer, someone hacks drop box) they can unlock your new protected super secure encypted wallet (not really but they get access to the money and completely ignore your new better backup habits). If like me you think the risks are low and you don't hold a lot of coin remember when you do hold a lot of coin and the risks become greater to move to a new address. Send your coins to yourself at a new address. As a tech guy I am surprised by how much stuff people leave on old hardware. I'm surprised we haven't heard a story about how a tech guy found a cache of bitcoin son somebodies pc yet. Though they might not be so quick to brag about it

[cragv]

@BitcoinNational, you're very kind to post my site there but it's quite unnecessary. Appreciated though! Cheers.

[balu2]

Is this tech support? Why not put 'tech support for newbies' in the title? Or 'unobtanium tech support' or something like that. Just an idea

[cragv]

This is a work in progress or place holder for the idea of a tech support thread, if I understand Mark's vision correctly. We'll put a few more things in here until we have a good amount of quality material then it can be organised into a coherent how-to thread or even a wiki. This is all pending time and availability for concerned posters, that is - I'm interested in helping more but need to balance my own very finite personal resources, for example. For now, I'm planning to keep adding things until we've got the topic more or less  covered then we can review from there, I guess.

Edit. one thing on my 'to do' list is to create a set of 'Getting Started with UNO' screenshots and one-line instructions for the downloading & installing the wallet, setting up Receive addresses, waiting for the blockchain to get updated and then activating encryption. Possibly along with or instead of the screenshots, I'm also thinking of a step-by-step video of the screen with my voice-over and/or captions. I'm putting this idea here in case someone else wants to do it first (if it's even worth doing?). Please feel free to do so, as my available time is under continual strain from work, family and health. I hope to get to this soon-ish, but can't guarantee it. Best effort is intended. Cheers.

[cragv]

How to use the NXT Wallet with Un-Ex DVC (Distributed Vault Coin)

** Download PDF version of this post (531KB, hosted on Dropbox)**

Prerequisites

i. Go to http://nxt.org/ and download and install the wallet. Open it and you'll see a loading screen for a while. Make a coffee.




ii. When it's ready, you'll see a login screen. As a first time user, click DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT? CLICK HERE TO CREATE ONE!




iii. Make a note of the generated passphrase, or, if you'd prefer to make your own, try to ensure it has at least 50 characters. Plain text is okay, just make it long.
Ideally, don't make a structured sentence, as this is more easily guessed. Instead, use groups of 'random' words. However, for the purposes of this instruction, I've gone with this sentence for my new 53-character passphrase:
this is the awesome passphrase i want to use the most




iv. Once you've entered your new passphrase the wallet will load. Allow the blockchain to finish downloading. This may take a while (possibly even overnight, for slower net connections).




v. Exit the wallet and then open it again. Log in with your new passphrase (use mine if you want to test it). The wallet might prompt you to update the client - do so, then close and open the wallet again until you're no longer prompted to update. The current version of the wallet is 2.2.0 and NRS Version is 1.4.15 (versions shown top left and near-top right of wallet window respectively).

Okay, your wallet is now set up and ready to roll. (If you're struggling at this point, try posting here in the thread for help or see this thread on the NXT Forum called 'Installation and Update Tutorial'.



How to use the NXT Asset, DVC

HOW TO GET DVC

1. You'll see a message in green at the top:
Welcome to your new NXT account. Your account ID is NXT-C7S5-M97L-TGES-7RB9M - When funding your account for the first time, you can increase security by also providing your public key, which is 59c168512d4bada60f41a9e55645bfa534757badf0b3939808a6487a97280131




2. Copy the Account ID and the Public Key and post both to the Un-Ex thread. Eg.

My NXT wallet is online. Please send DVC to: NXT-C7S5-M97L-TGES-7RB9M. Public key is: 59c168512d4bada60f41a9e55645bfa534757badf0b3939808a6487a97280131.

3. Wait for your DVC to be transferred. Ask someone here for some other NXT assets in the meantime (if IMZ or Ian haven't sent you some already) and you can try sending them to other addresses.


HOW TO SEND DVC

4. Click Asset Exchange and then My Assets




5. Click Transfer next to the asset you want to send (usually DVC, Nxttycoin for this example) and a lightbox appears




6. (Note, I've logged into my own NXT address to do this, so when I paste the address for our new account I'm also prompted for the public key). Here, I am sending 1 Nxttycoin. Noting the cost of this transfer is 1 NXT, I've clicked Transfer Asset.




7. The asset transfer is in progress!




8. To check your trade details, click Asset Exchange and then Transfer History. Your transfer should appear in a little while. You can click the Transaction number to see the transfer on the blockchain (just like viewing a Bitcoin or Unotanium Transaction ID on the blockchain explorer).





Note. You can log into the test account using the passphrase as noted here and you'll see I've transferred 11 Nxttycoins there (I did 10 and 1 during testing). You can log out of that account by pressing the power icon () and can then log into your own account with your passphrase. Simple when you get the hang of it!

Now you know how to receive and send your DVC. Questions?

(Also, please let me know if something doesn't make sense or if I've missed a basic step, I'll get this fixed promptly. Ta.)

[rich93]

How to use the NXT Wallet with Un-Ex DVC (Distributed Vault Coin)

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What's this got to do wit unobtanium?

[cragv]

How to use the NXT Wallet with Un-Ex DVC (Distributed Vault Coin)

........

What's this got to do wit unobtanium?

Sorry about the slow reply, I wasn't subbed to this thread and so didn't get a notification of a new post. The short answer is that the NXT wallet allows transfer of assets, which we use in the Unobtanium Exchange for our in-house coin, DVC (Distributed Vault Coin). It is a silver-backed hedge for UNO and BTC.

The more detailed answer can be found below. To learn more, see:

- the Un-Ex discussion thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=757232.0
- the About tab of the Un-Ex trade tracker where you can find an explanation of DVC as follows:

D.V.C. stands for Distributed Vault Coin. This is the exclusive, in-house currency of the Un-Ex. It is truly unique and is a natural extension of the trust-network experiment. You can't just buy a DVC; rather, they are issued to Trusted Traders who are prepared to set aside and verify that they own two ounces of silver bullion (for one DVC) or four ounces (for two DVC). This is the 'Distributed Vault' of the D.V.C.

One DVC equals two troy ounces of pure silver. The silver is pledged by Trusted Traders (currently done in the Bitcointalk.org Un-Ex thread - see Dashboard tab for link), which they then set aside to hold as the backing for their DVC. Once two TTs verify the silver holding (proof by several personalised photos posted in the Un-Ex thread), up to two DVC can be issued to a TT. You may be called upon at any time to prove you still have your pledged silver in your possession, which is particularly important if you have since traded your DVC! Your silver holding is part of the distributed vault and it is therefore vitally important that you can protect that pledged silver.

The true power of the DVC is that it acts as a hedge for UNO - check out the BTC,UNO,DVC,90-day graph (aqua tab) to see for yourself how your DVC is stable through an ever-fluctuating crypto market.

[BitcoinNational]

Displayed transactions may not be correct! message !
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=317883.0
1. go to the folder where bitcoin is installed
2. shift + right-click -> open command window here
3. type "bitcoin-qt -rescan" into the command window (without quotes) and hit enter
4. wait for bitcoin to rescan. this may take 30 minutes.

[BitcoinNational]

MAC .conf

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=527500.msg12114207#msg12114207

[BitcoinNational]

Great stuff in the UNO TECH link in your signature BitcoinNational. I'm satisfied about how much of that I've already figured out and implemented piece by piece on my own previously. There are a few things though that I'd like to have clarified.

1) Say you make 5 addresses and send funds to them, then place the encrypted backup on an encrypted USB in the secondary location. Then I make five new addresses and send funds to them. Does the secondary backup still access the original 5 addresses? I'm not sure if adding new addresses invalidates the entire old private key, or if we're warned about that just because the newest addresses wouldn't be backed up. Say if the first 5 addresses contain 1,000 uno but the next 5 contain only 10 UNO, then I won't fuss about it as long as the original 5 are still covered. I suppose it shouldn't matter, I should just make 50 new addresses, label them then I can leave the secondary backup for years and not have to worry about it.

If you have 1000 coins in an address in Unobtanium-qt/unobtaniumd and you send 1 coin, the change will typically NOT be returned to the previous address (unless you specify it with the coin control features). It might be best to create two wallet.dat files, one with most of your funds that you don't plan on spending from and another wallet.dat for daily spending with a small amount. You could even split up your "stash" wallet into addresses that hold, let's say, 1/10th of your stash. Each time your spending wallet runs out just "importprivkey" one of those address private keys to refill your hot wallet.

2) In regards to keyloggers. I've gotten a bit paranoid that you can never really know if you're free of keyloggers. I went to the extent of placing a basic Linux program on a USB drive to initialize my ledger wallets offline. Although I do use ESET NOD32, which it seems literally updates my virus signature about 10 times per day. I do visit sites cragv warned against, things you wouldn't tell your grandmother about or torrents or w.e. So my two questions here are: Should I be able to feel at least 98% confident that my computer is safe from keyloggers while using ESET NOD? I know I have never had any breaches from the 50+ websites I've logged into or wallets I've used in 15 months, but I'm sure that's not evidence to conclude I've never been infected. Even then I'm not happy with 98%, so am I able to create true offline wallets despite having only one laptop?

Probably, a tails live cd, a copy of the paperwallet index.html file on a flash drive, and your disconnected laptop I think is a good recommendation.

3) Would downloading the html of the cryptap.us brainwallet program be an improvement in security despite my computer still being used online? Bonus stupid question: would it help at all (guard against keyloggers) simply to disconnect from the internet when using the program? Does Cryptapus prove that the website can not store which brain wallet phrases are typed in? (I know, people have told me he's trusted, just asking).

You certainly could download the brainwallet html, just don't forget to also grab the javascript files referenced in it. You will lose the "transactions" capability since you can't grab unspent transactions from a block explorer. It might be easier to just grab the paperwallet.html file since the brainwallet functionality is also built in and it's just the one file. Verifying that no keylogging is taking place can be done by examining the javascript. Not really an easier way to prove a negative in this case. But it's probably best to not trust anyone, myself included, with your money. The best advise is to examine the code in detail to prove to yourself that no monkey business is going on...

[BitcoinNational]

https://99bitcoins.com/pgp-encryption-a-beginners-guide/

[BitcoinNational]

"No blueman vour you! vindows"

All dis Vhining after posts 2, no 3, Vawesome vhallets. You get Vellow vhallets and you vvill vlike it.
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pnoch, ugZcQ5Q9SEmwxT2wPQWggZHT94fc8E7WFG

pnoch, ugZcQ5Q9SEmwxT2wPQWggZHT94fc8E7WFG

For hardcore MS fan out there, here's my version of Windows x64 wallet 'bluenoch' as before with zero configuration.
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/httik55nsvqs46n/Unobtanium-bluenoch-winx64.zip
MD5: 8b25d56dd97e9410b6ae3933726e5ed4
pnoch, ugZcQ5Q9SEmwxT2wPQWggZHT94fc8E7WFG

-------------
Sure! I'm working on blueman graphics version for all platform but here's my barebone version of Windows x32 wallet 'bluenoch' as before with zero configuration.
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k6o9bridiz5u51x/Unobtanium-bluenoch-winx32.zip
MD5: 9b5823ba4c452e459d1ef3dd39e4386e

Mac OS X
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0jwi4vzvfo4sqcw/Unobtanium-osx-blueman.zip
MD5: dc77bced6d7c1b5c5d59f2861c8c8d3d
Windows
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qhlrvj0xk7aqus4/Unobtanium-blueman-win32.zip
MD5: 3be524d779c464165d426ec414e00feb
pnoch, ugZcQ5Q9SEmwxT2wPQWggZHT94fc8E7WFG

[BitcoinNational]

2fa (using google authenticator)

I'm actually working on Bitcoin wallet with 2fa (using google authenticator) which I will also make one for Unobtanium but I will have to keep it closed source until I am able to reach my goal in raising further development money from selling it to users who needs better security with their wallets.

Cheers!

Took a few hours to port my project to UNO wallet

I will release a trial version soon for anyone who wants to be my beta tester.

Cheers!

[maincoin]

Good job helping out the community!

[CoinThug]

Thanks for helping out the community guys

[BitHappy24]

Good job guys, keep up the good work