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Topic: Backing up your wallet (Read 472 times)

full member
Activity: 196
Merit: 101
December 17, 2013, 03:26:01 PM
#7
How often should we back up our wallet?
Your wallet contains your private keys.  Technically you only need to back it up when you add a private key.

BUT how often you start using a new private key depends on the wallet you use.

As one example:

The Bitcoin-Qt wallet uses a new private key every time it gets change back from a transaction (which is pretty much every transaction).  It has a pool of 100 keys that is uses for this.  When you back up your Bitcoin-Qt wallet.dat file it backs up the next 100 keys that will be used for this purpose.

So, you should back it up before you use all those keys.

I back up my Bitcoin-Qt wallet every dozen or so transactions or every time I generate a new key by pressing the "new key" button or every time I import a new private key.

Other wallets have differing requirements.

damn Sad

I use Bitcoin-Qt also
So I need to back it up every 100 transactions
good thing I stopped using faucets and stuff = less transactions Cheesy
full member
Activity: 210
Merit: 100
Crypto News & Tutorials - Coinramble.com
December 17, 2013, 03:08:13 PM
#6
Just make a cold/paper wallet in case you are dealing with big amounts. Else make a fresh backup on a USB each time you think you received substantial BTC
legendary
Activity: 2646
Merit: 1137
All paid signature campaigns should be banned.
December 17, 2013, 03:07:51 PM
#5
How often should we back up our wallet?
Your wallet contains your private keys.  Technically you only need to back it up when you add a private key.

BUT how often you start using a new private key depends on the wallet you use.

As one example:

The Bitcoin-Qt wallet uses a new private key every time it gets change back from a transaction (which is pretty much every transaction).  It has a pool of 100 keys that is uses for this.  When you back up your Bitcoin-Qt wallet.dat file it backs up the next 100 keys that will be used for this purpose.

So, you should back it up before you use all those keys.

I back up my Bitcoin-Qt wallet every dozen or so transactions or every time I generate a new key by pressing the "new key" button or every time I import a new private key.

Other wallets have differing requirements.
member
Activity: 83
Merit: 10
December 17, 2013, 03:05:20 PM
#4
so you only need to back it up once and afterwards if you insert it you just need to wait for the synchronization? Smiley

Yep, back it up once (but onto multiple media) ..and your wallet is redundant despite any activity thereafter. It's really just backing up your private key access to the address holding the coin.

And to retrieve your wallet from backup, you'll have to open your wallet client and choose to import wallet data (or something to that effect)
full member
Activity: 196
Merit: 101
December 17, 2013, 03:01:39 PM
#3
All day, 'ere day!

Actually, back it up onto a couple usbs and on paper and you're covered. No need to backup your wallet on a consistent basis. Once it is sufficiently backed up, it's good.

so you only need to back it up once and afterwards if you insert it you just need to wait for the synchronization? Smiley
member
Activity: 83
Merit: 10
December 17, 2013, 02:56:22 PM
#2
All day, 'ere day!

Actually, back it up onto a couple usbs and on paper and you're covered. No need to backup your wallet on a consistent basis. Once it is sufficiently backed up, it's good.
full member
Activity: 196
Merit: 101
December 17, 2013, 02:50:45 PM
#1
How often should we back up our wallet?
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