Cannot read Wallet file

[andrealandia]

Hi, 2 days ago, i opened electrum but it not sync, i tried it for 4-5 times but yesterday when i tried another time i received this error:
Cannot read wallet file  " ............ default_wallet "
The versione that i use is 2.0.3 portable, and i not remember the pubblic key to restore the wallet, i have only the .data..
How i can resolve?

[btchris]

Your wallet file has for some reason become corrupted.

First (very important), make a backup of it so there's no chance of making things worse.

Next, open your wallet file in a text editor (such as Notepad on Windows).

It should look something like this:

Code:

{
    "accounts": {
        "0": {
            "change": [
                "0226e2a67847df6a7f46efe9da8b9f6fc7f7d8023f63eef8d636b38203bc56a2d3", 
                "0389e77e92ca2ab3d721630d2eeef7efc1556fec72dcf0f52b74bf5286a5c4fe94", 
                "03a31d53b340f76a006984638e5260365cf25f8a49beae1dd29e2606d48f3b498c"
            ], 
            "receiving": [
                "039bb38c166e55c595891b78325da2025d013ecd5d9694b05e210b48a01168065c", 
                "0351940ad5247586c6dbfbaeadd38dec431cf97ca7af71fa0552e4c77482dfa640", 
                "03b75f7d34f2130983e10127d66377eb1f2b1278db96da33dd390779573b405f87", 
                "03db37551e0dfa2a4c499cd8f64ff3d1f8375fdb7bb8a14af73c6afa7f7a6152b2", 
                "037777a308fa5bb9bb12bd5de31b6a5d21eb0d94067002236a58dd1787504f1bed", 
                "02f86a3fd6a2ea654c1ebc65ce01b13c9a700bf77bcd1742b865e223574047f87a", 
                "03eeb6bd840b2d309254df79cd4554bec50634a897c6f4ff81fbcd87d4f336c8b5", 
                "02a95c72dd2c5e8a7ef70c764e1a51c0f8910abb23201be0a01c47b091d1fb1bf3", 
                "03393270a21090a27c84cab77bb94eaf9ef7e1194ccab43e47c031abdacb840aac", 
                "02fd90ef85469e265326a2a3994daa7d489d2c981d09155021eb58e7bf790ca474", 
                "03c4cc88a3243d663f92350f58a625c94319b210411d75c4ba10e02dceaedd20c7", 
                "02ccf9ee6a6cc63cb28e2ff6e46f3a9fe4d14f8efd139fafd3e91d657670da527f", 
                "0253b5a73f453976414747f1cf0ab6eadabf632d7c51f2504f725fb6fb528516d4", 
                "03ae45504521514c0a675150937a95775abbaee5e99d85b0e7c91231090de55b8a", 
                "0349aa147502380ad458648fb535381a902a05938dfbaee4c75dfe4267a28660f2", 
                "02e22d7e9bdde58ce16627af385df1956091a5e5d0047f356df168df96796adf2c", 
                "03e560201fbf19a32d7de762a49d50d0c20889a2d509d8ba2fd6a45a296c8d61f1", 
                "0310fac886fe32afafedb3183f97c836470bc12610c50915797fd2e729d2eb1d78", 
                "03c800b16bf5787662adfda8dcf0fc99c0f68936c80346c50ec033cf79f0e4ed9c", 
                "028ac1a7dea5856d201405cc8802fb1198b3dc50884c65c7ae4c79e4ae9da369fb"
            ], 
            "xpub": "xpub661MyMwAqRbcGsUXkGBkytQkYZ6M16bFWwTocQDdPSm6eJ1wUsxG5qty1kTCUq7EztwMscUstHVo1XCJMxWyLn4PP1asLjt4gPt3HkA81qe"
        }
    }, 
    "accounts_expanded": {}, 
    "master_private_keys": {
        "x/": "9B961mYKYFV7Bg1zRYZ8ZGw4cE+2D8NF3lp6d2XPe8r87EE8qxVnv/8UA9PxSopPF41RKg9VWR4iyd/rSA6CusnLvkzU8+5Zy9Gb8Fgnu2HpYc7SXHNhiJp8maQjxMCBo8nhXqU3f855ALJGgVlaZflBN06k8XKgOENtCOLrrP0="
    }, 
    "master_public_keys": {
        "x/": "xpub661MyMwAqRbcGsUXkGBkytQkYZ6M16bFWwTocQDdPSm6eJ1wUsxG5qty1kTCUq7EztwMscUstHVo1XCJMxWyLn4PP1asLjt4gPt3HkA81qe"
    }, 
    "seed": "CBjg2RyTk91VOCO9O+X0XlqUoiiBPrTqMcSIOAlJpBP2N9sSgCABTSli5ecy8vpi8JEG3Tkg6aU0wAj0hs74PadfYjpobJLGkR7bDUH5NwZT16DnKzcdsLhnsuHqK+Qp", 
    "seed_version": 11, 
    "use_encryption": true, 
    "wallet_type": "standard"
}

You're looking for missing syntax. For example

• make sure all of the braces ( the {s and }s ) match up and that there's a closing brace at the end
• make sure there's nothing following the last closing brace
• make sure there a comma after each pair of items, except for the last item in a list
• make sure there's a colon between each pair of items
• make sure the double-quotes match up

If you find an error, try correcting it, saving the file and loading it in Electrum. If you can't find an error, you'll need to find someone you trust who understands JSON (that's Electrum 2's file format) who can look at the file for you.

If you get it fixed, be sure to write down your seed!

Good luck....

[andrealandia]

With notepad++ i receive only NULNULNUL ....

[btchris]

With notepad++ i receive only NULNULNUL ....

That's not good....

If you have no wallet file backups, and no seed backups, recovery will be difficult or impossible.

If you had a large amount of Bitcoin stored there, I'd shutdown the machine ASAP and send the drive to a recovery professional.

If you didn't have enough to justify that, I'd shutdown the machine ASAP, and then boot it off of a Live Linux CD to search the hard drive for seeds or master private keys (I'm not sure what the easiest way to do this is, though, so no instructions included for this option...).

If you just had a little (you're on Windows, correct?), download and install HexEdit, (preferably to a drive that's different from where your wallet file is stored), and then open your C drive using File -> Open Special. Please note that installing anything or continuing to use your PC decreases the chances of a successful recovery. Search for these two text strings one at a time, double-quotes and colon included:

• "seed":
• "master_private_keys":

If you manage to find one or both of these, along with the string that follows them (as in the example file I posted earlier), it may be possible to recover your funds.

Edited to add: if you find one of them, keep searching to see if there is more than one, and save them all in a text file.

[andrealandia]

Thanks, but for the btc that i had on the wallet is no sense  try to fix it
Thanks again

[elect22]

hi, i just download electrum ,but cant open it, message say "cannot read wallet file default wallet"
i checked in electrum files and default_wallet is empty file.
maybe it bkz i have old version in my PC too and it have conflict with just downloaded version?

[CoinFriend]

hi, i just download electrum ,but cant open it, message say "cannot read wallet file default wallet"
i checked in electrum files and default_wallet is empty file.
maybe it bkz i have old version in my PC too and it have conflict with just downloaded version?

use Bitcoin Core ^^

[elect22]

hi, i just download electrum ,but cant open it, message say "cannot read wallet file default wallet"
i checked in electrum files and default_wallet is empty file.
maybe it bkz i have old version in my PC too and it have conflict with just downloaded version?

use Bitcoin Core ^^

this is solution for run electrum client?

[CoinFriend]

hi, i just download electrum ,but cant open it, message say "cannot read wallet file default wallet"
i checked in electrum files and default_wallet is empty file.
maybe it bkz i have old version in my PC too and it have conflict with just downloaded version?

use Bitcoin Core ^^

this is solution for run electrum client?

no,
but why you use electum?

[elect22]

why i use BMW and not MERCEDES, just bkz i like BMW 

[CoinFriend]

why i use BMW and not MERCEDES, just bkz i like BMW  

car is car, BMW drives good, a BENZ drives good. i won't prefer one of them, only of the use.
both vehicles are for driving...

both wallets are for bitcoin.
but bitcoin core is the older one, which was created with bitcoin together. it works perfect for me.
works electrum for you? ^^

why do you like electrum?

[elect22]

why i use BMW and not MERCEDES, just bkz i like BMW  

car is car, BMW drives good, a BENZ drives good. i won't prefer one of them, only of the use.
both vehicles are for driving...

both wallets are for bitcoin.
but bitcoin core is the older one, which was created with bitcoin together. it works perfect for me.
works electrum for you? ^^

why do you like electrum?

i used electrum always bkz dont need to synchronize so much like bitcoin core, dont spend so much PC space..
and like i understand i can use electrum with my trezor.

[CoinFriend]

why i use BMW and not MERCEDES, just bkz i like BMW  

car is car, BMW drives good, a BENZ drives good. i won't prefer one of them, only of the use.
both vehicles are for driving...

both wallets are for bitcoin.
but bitcoin core is the older one, which was created with bitcoin together. it works perfect for me.
works electrum for you? ^^

why do you like electrum?

i used electrum always bkz dont need to synchronize so much like bitcoin core, dont spend so much PC space..
and like i understand i can use electrum with my trezor.

ah yeah, why you don't need to synchronize so much?
why need it less space on your computer?
and how can you use electrum with your trezor?

[elect22]

how much space spend your client?

[CoinFriend]

how much space spend your client?

ey, you answer my question whit a question!
i should stop talking to you

i can't say it right now, run bitcoin core on a separate computer and only if i have to withdrawal coins. (so lets say, this computer is my trezor^^)

but i think it should now between 15 and 20 GB.
And i have no problem to spend this space for the blockchain.
It is one good innovation of bitcoin that this blockchain (which contains all transactions of btc) is saved for each client on the local computer.
It is a way to save the history of transactions decentral. This is the opposite how banks and finance houses works, the save it only central for them self.
All software who access the data by blockchain which is saved on a central place are in my opinion against the idea of the bitcoin network!

so hey, do you use bitcoin and don't know how it works?
then i have to ask, do you drive a car, without or with driving license, and with or without knowledge how a car drives?

[elect22]

but "Electrum servers are decentralized and redundant."

[CoinFriend]

but "Electrum servers are decentralized and redundant."

What means this exactly? Two servers on different places with the same data?
I only trust in bitcoin core.

But hey, i can understand such solution to use bitcoin on mobile devices, as log as space is expensive.
but 30 or 30 GB is not that much i think. My notebook hard drive is smaller than a physical wallet for fiat currency and has provide much more space as only for the bitcoin client.
i think everyone who use bitcoin should support the network as much as possible and not trust in other services which makes the use more simple or comfortable.

who pays for the electrum servers and do the maintenance? how are the costs covered?

[elect22]

i understand what u trying to say me. maybe im "bad" person that dont care about blockchain
but i want use electrum and cant do nothing with this

[CoinFriend]

i understand what u trying to say me. maybe im "bad" person that dont care about blockchain
but i want use electrum and cant do nothing with this

yeah i heard it before that this blockchain is a lot of data ! !


is this maybe the same with the car do you like? you want drive it, but can't 

hey, i've tried electrum too, but had the same problem. so i use bitcoin core now and can do all whit it...
i can't help you to find a solution...

[CoinFriend]

i understand what u trying to say me. maybe im "bad" person that dont care about blockchain
but i want use electrum and cant do nothing with this

I read your post again, you "cant do nothing with this"?