Charles-Tim is incorrect about it not being base64, though he might be correct about it not being a private key.
Sounds like it probably is base64, but perhaps not a private key. Base64 ONLY has = at the end (never in the middle) of the encoded data. If the data is exactly a multiple of 24 bits, then there will not be an =.
This is because Base64 is a six-bit encoding, and the decoded values are divided into 8-bit octets on a modern computer. Therefore, every four characters of Base64-encoded text (4 sextets = 4*6 = 24 bits) represents three octets of unencoded text or data (3 octets = 3*8 = 24 bits). This means that when the length of the unencoded input is not a multiple of three bytes, the encoded output must have padding added so that its length is a multiple of four. The padding character is =, which indicates that no further bits are needed to fully encode the input.
Also, + IS a base64 character. It represents binary 111110.
Have you tried running the block of data through a base64 decoder to see what the result is? It's possible that it includes some text. It's also possible that it is a private key along with some additional information.
Topic: Base 64 characters? Bitcoin docx file - page 2. (Read 522 times)
Base 64 private key will look like this:
Private Key Base64 (44 characters):
cSRchRuIIwpI5MTS0Em6aD2u21R1NZNspw1ed3e/1TI=
If not containing / and =, that means it can not work. Also + should not be included, which also indicates it not to be bitcoin private key.
Private Key Base64 (44 characters):
cSRchRuIIwpI5MTS0Em6aD2u21R1NZNspw1ed3e/1TI=
If not containing / and =, that means it can not work. Also + should not be included, which also indicates it not to be bitcoin private key.
As part of an attempt to retrieve a Bitcoin wallet/private key from an old hard drive I have found a docx file labeled Bitcoin. It consists of 3 blocks of characters A-Z, a-z, numbers 1-9 and+/. Each block is about 70 characters long and about 50 lines deep. My question is, is this base 64 as it doesn't contain any = and how could I decode it? Do I need to know the start and finish of a string as It just consists of the large blocks of characters as described. Sorry for my clumsy explanation, but If anyone can give me a clue that would be great.
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