At the beginning is... the seed and default_wallet

BooToo

newbie

Activity: 21

Merit: 0

Quote from: Abdussamad on January 05, 2017, 04:57:09 PM

The seeds are generated from random numbers. Astronomically large random numbers derived from entropy collected by the operating system (not the time or anything predictable like that). There is no way to predict what number was used and no way to recreate it unless you saved the seed. The seed is the random number in a human friendly format.

Hi, abdussamad, thanks a lot for your easy to read (and understand) explanation Cheesy

As I'm not the "code lover" Coin Keeper was expecting, I'm glad not to have to dive in the depths of the github's files Grin

Abdussamad

legendary

Activity: 3682

Merit: 1580

Quote from: BooToo on January 05, 2017, 11:10:33 AM

More generally speaking, what is the “starting point “ (or event ) for electrum to generate the seeds and wallets ? the clock of the phone or PC ? chance? anything else ?

The seeds are generated from random numbers. Astronomically large random numbers derived from entropy collected by the operating system (not the time or anything predictable like that). There is no way to predict what number was used and no way to recreate it unless you saved the seed. The seed is the random number in a human friendly format.

However if you are asking why electrum would choose to create a new wallet then the answer is that it finds there is no wallet in the data directory and you haven't specified one in the command line via the -w switch to it begins the process of creating a wallet for you. The location of the data directory is given here. You can also create additional wallets using the file menu > new/restore option and open them using file > open.

Coin-Keeper

hero member

Activity: 761

Merit: 606

You may enjoy some reading on the electrum sub-forum over at github. Clearly the software is going to randomize any new wallet created. If you take the time you can view any branch and public code mods. You can download and view then entire Electrum code used to generate the public binaries. If you are a math and code lover you'll get hooked so be warned before you go there. LOL!

BooToo

newbie

Activity: 21

Merit: 0

Quote from: steven0021 on January 05, 2017, 11:13:32 AM

Each time your create a wallet with electrum you'll generate a new seed phrase. So the "default_wallet" file will be entirely different if you've lost the older one.

ok thanks for your reply,
but as the process of generating the seed (and then the subsequent wallet/addresses) is surely always the same,
the difference between several wallets (or seed) is due to Huh

IMO probably a different starting point which could be random number or clock or?? somebody knows?

steven0021

hero member

Activity: 629

Merit: 501

Experientia docet

Quote from: BooToo on January 05, 2017, 11:10:33 AM

Good, morning, afternoon, evening, night, everybody .

I’ve understood tha the seeeeed is the graal for electrum wallet…
I install the last release and launch it… Electrum creates the default_wallet
Gives me the seed and the first 20 adresses that I can give to those who want to give me their BTC.

Then … If I loose the seed and the wallet (but not the software still installed on the same PC with the same OS) :
I clean up properly the files, and re-launch Electrum which has to create a new “default_wallet” and the linked seed.
Will this new “default_w” and the seed be the same than the first time Huh

If YES, that could solve the problem of all the loosers of seeds who have a single wallet
More generally speaking, what is the “starting point “ (or event ) for electrum to generate the seeds and wallets ? the clock of the phone or PC ? chance? anything else ?
Your skilled answer or a link to the yet well known one will be appreciate.

Each time your create a wallet with electrum you'll generate a new seed phrase. So the "default_wallet" file will be entirely different if you've lost the older one.

BooToo

newbie

Activity: 21

Merit: 0

Good, morning, afternoon, evening, night, everybody .

I’ve understood tha the seeeeed is the graal for electrum wallet…
I install the last release and launch it… Electrum creates the default_wallet
Gives me the seed and the first 20 adresses that I can give to those who want to give me their BTC.

Then … If I loose the seed and the wallet (but not the software still installed on the same PC with the same OS) :
I clean up properly the files, and re-launch Electrum which has to create a new “default_wallet” and the linked seed.
Will this new “default_w” and the seed be the same than the first time Huh

If YES, that could solve the problem of all the loosers of seeds who have a single wallet
More generally speaking, what is the “starting point “ (or event ) for electrum to generate the seeds and wallets ? the clock of the phone or PC ? chance? anything else ?
Your skilled answer or a link to the yet well known one will be appreciate.

Topic: At the beginning is... the seed and default_wallet (Read 353 times)