Author

Topic: HELP! Missing private key for paper wallet! (Read 245 times)

newbie
Activity: 55
Merit: 0
March 02, 2018, 05:41:10 AM
#13
Low chance to get a result but you could try to edit the PDF with editing software like "adobe acrobat pro".
Supposing the text has not been shortened, if the missing text part is out of the boundaries of the page, it could still be there but not displayed(rendered) by the pdf engine.
sr. member
Activity: 672
Merit: 252
Until the end
So I believe I made a terrible mistake. After I used the walletgenerator to generate a paper wallet, I printed it to a pdf  file and saved it. I used the public address to mine and to receive my coins. Today when i opened the pdf file and turned out the printing is not full. That is, part of the private key is missing...

Does this mean I can never use the coins in the public address? Is there any way to recover? TIA!!!

Always verify the private key is safe outside your PC before proceeding. Take a photo of your screen, paste it in a word doc and zip it with a password and email it to an address you don't use for exchanges or whatever.  I've learned some hard lessons too.
legendary
Activity: 3808
Merit: 1723
In the future.

Try and sign a message with your BTC address and see if it works as confirmation that your private key will unlock your funds.

You can do this offline with Bitcoin core.
member
Activity: 247
Merit: 59
Don't you have the QR code, or at least part of it?
jr. member
Activity: 266
Merit: 2
^ So you mean you dont have the pdf file? did you check it on your recycle bin? Or did you try data recovery tools? or system restore from windows?

If you can recover your PDF file you still have a chance. just give it a try.

I have pdf file. The problem is, the file is not complete as seen in the web page when I created the keys. Part of it is not printing.

I wonder if there is any way you could retrieve a cached version on the web page or something like that.
member
Activity: 202
Merit: 10
Eloncoin.org - Mars, here we come!
^ So you mean you dont have the pdf file? did you check it on your recycle bin? Or did you try data recovery tools? or system restore from windows?

If you can recover your PDF file you still have a chance. just give it a try.

I have pdf file. The problem is, the file is not complete as seen in the web page when I created the keys. Part of it is not printing.
full member
Activity: 294
Merit: 125
^ So you mean you dont have the pdf file? did you check it on your recycle bin? Or did you try data recovery tools? or system restore from windows?

If you can recover your PDF file you still have a chance. just give it a try.
member
Activity: 202
Merit: 10
Eloncoin.org - Mars, here we come!
Thanks for all your reply. The default printer setting cut off the most private key part and only a few characters left. I guess I had to give up them. Well, good lesson learned.
full member
Activity: 504
Merit: 122
February 28, 2018, 10:09:01 PM
#5
Are you sure that pdf file is missing? Like you 'printed' landscape instead portrait? or some scale error?
How many characters are missing? You can bruteforce but need to do some math, maybe it not worth.
newbie
Activity: 12
Merit: 0
February 28, 2018, 10:06:13 PM
#4
This is a long shot, but depending on how much of the private key is there, you might still have a shot at recovering it.

https://medium.freecodecamp.org/lets-enhance-how-we-found-rogerkver-s-1000-wallet-obfuscated-private-key-8514e74a5433

I don't know if you have the QR code or just the private key string, but in the above article they were able to recover an obfuscated private key from a video interview with some math and python.  It's not likely, but might be worth taking a look at.
full member
Activity: 294
Merit: 125
February 28, 2018, 09:46:39 PM
#3
Too bad for you.

Did you check the pdf file if the details are complete there? If not, without a private key your wallet is considered lost.

Accept the reality, next time you better check your records and test your private keys before you use the public address
full member
Activity: 258
Merit: 104
February 28, 2018, 09:22:42 PM
#2
No private key = no access to the funds.  That's it.  Nothing you can do.  Nada.

Forget it and move on.  Take it as a lesson on the importance of keeping the private key safe.
member
Activity: 202
Merit: 10
Eloncoin.org - Mars, here we come!
February 28, 2018, 07:28:22 PM
#1
So I believe I made a terrible mistake. After I used the walletgenerator to generate a paper wallet, I printed it to a pdf  file and saved it. I used the public address to mine and to receive my coins. Today when i opened the pdf file and turned out the printing is not full. That is, part of the private key is missing...

Does this mean I can never use the coins in the public address? Is there any way to recover? TIA!!!
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