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Recovering bitcoin wallet

  • 10-08-2015 7:13pm
    #1
    él statutorio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭


    I have an old windows laptop which I used to have a bitcoin miner installed on.

    I think I installed it sometime in 2011, I uninstalled the bitcoin miner sometime in late 2012. The laptop was stuck in a drawer in 2013 and forgotten about.

    I discovered it at the weekend and it boots up (just about).

    It looks like the bitcoin wallet files are all still there (over 1gb of stuff there).

    Does anyone have any idea where I go from here if I want to recover any potential bitcoins in there?


Comments

  • #2
    ED E
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,170 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    Look for a wallet.dat. Itll only be a few kb.


    Then install the client on a nice new fast machine, import that wallet.dat and let it sync up.


  • #3
    él statutorio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    ED E wrote: »
    Look for a wallet.dat. Itll only be a few kb.


    Then install the client on a nice new fast machine, import that wallet.dat and let it sync up.

    That's it?

    That's much much simpler than I thought!

    Is there any particular client I should be using?


  • #4
    ED E
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,170 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    The generic Bitcoin-QT is fine. Note the blockchain is rather large.


  • #5
    él statutorio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭él statutorio


    Cool, I'll give it a shot later on so.

    Curious to see of there's any sort of a balance on the account.

    A few bitcoins would be nice, most likely I have a bit of a coin (see what I did there!)

    Fingers crossed!

    I'll update tomorrow.


  • #6
    ED E
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,170 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    In 2011 the chances of getting something solo werent terrible. If you were part of a pool you'd have a few coins, but solo mining would probably mean 25 or nothing.

    25BTC = 6534.98 USD :pac:


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  • #7
    alb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭alb


    Firstly, do NOT give anyone else the wallet.dat. They can take your bitcoins if you do.
    Secondly back-up the wallet.dat before you do anything else with it, in case you corrupt it or lose it while trying to retrieve the coins.

    Since you were mining in the good old days, you must have been using Bitcoin QT, the old default wallet. This requires downloading the entire blockchain, just be aware that this is now over 20GB so it's going to take some time to sync. There may be another lighter wallet that allows importing of an old wallet.dat - you could investigate this.


  • #8
    alb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭alb


    ED E wrote: »
    In 2011 the chances of getting something solo werent terrible. If you were part of a pool you'd have a few coins, but solo mining would probably mean 25 or nothing.

    25BTC = 6534.98 USD :pac:

    Actually in 2011 it would have been 50BTC per block! :) Hope you find a nice stash of them OP.


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