Author

Topic: Looking for a loaded coin/offline wallet/someone to show me how (Read 442 times)

legendary
Activity: 1806
Merit: 1164
If you do not understand change addresses it is not unusual to lose bitcoin when trying to spend from a paper wallet. Paper wallets are not the best solution for most folks, a hardware wallet is. You can buy a hardware wallet for as little as $20 from Ledger Wallet.
BG4
legendary
Activity: 1006
Merit: 1024
PaperSafe
copper member
Activity: 2996
Merit: 2374
And if not...I am potentially willing to pay someone in BTC to take me through a dummy version of putting some BTC into cold storage
To make a cold storage wallet:

  • buy a new computer/laptop that has never been connected to the internet (this is a best practice and not doing this will increase the risk that your money will get stolen). You will also need a USB flash drive.
  • download electrum and put the installer on the USB flash drive
  • Use the USB flash drive to install electrum on your new/cold computer
  • Create a new wallet with electrum
  • Make backups of your electrum seed (more on this below)
  • Copy your xpubkey to a text file, put the text file on your USB drive - Wallet --> Master Pub keys
  • Install electrum on your online computer
  • Create a new wallet with electrum on your online computer, however select "restore a wallet or input keys" and paste the xpubkey from your USB flash drive
  • You now have a watch-only wallet on your online computer that it "watching" your cold storage wallet
  • You will probably want to do something to prove to yourself that you are looking at the correct watch-only wallet associated with the correct xpubkey in the future -- you could PGP sign your xpubkey so you know you are looking at the right one, you could write down the first transaction amount date and block to the address associated with your xpubkey, among other things
  • When you need to send BTC to your offline wallet, first confirm that you are looking at the correct wallet associated with the correct xpubkey, then simply send BTC to the next unused address
  • when you need to spend BTC in your cold wallet, you will need to create an unsigned transaction using your watch-only wallet, then copy the unsigned transaction to your USB flash drive
  • Use the USB flash drive to get the unsigned transaction to your offline computer and sign the transaction -- tools --> load transaction --> from text
  • Sign the transaction on the offline computer and use the USB flash drive to get the signed transaction back to your online computer
  • You can use electrum to broadcast the transaction to the network

To backup your seed
  • You want a minimum of 3 copies of your seed, using at least two mediums of storage, and at least one of the backups should be offsite
  • If you are using electrum, the easiest way to backup your seed is probably to write down your seed on paper and have a copy of your wallet file on a USB flash drive that you will never use except for restoring your wallet in the event that your offline computer crashes/fails


You can also use something like a hardware wallet (trezor). They are almost plug and play in being able to protect your BTC in a "cold" way. You will still want to backup your seed as described above. The risk with a hardware wallet is that their security has not been tested as vigorously as some may want, so their long term security is unknown if someone is able to gain physical access to your hardware wallet. A trezor is going to cost you a little under $100 including shipping, and you will probably get some kind of a discount if you buy 2 or 3.

edit: while it is not guaranteed that the above will 100% prevent you from having your money stolen/lost, I do believe that it will reduce the risk of such losses
donator
Activity: 4760
Merit: 4323
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Here are instructions for saving an offline paper wallet.

Download the Bitcoin Core client for Windows: https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Launch the Bitcoin Core client.

Click on 'help' in the menu bar (top right).

Click on 'debug window'.

Select the 'console' tab.

Type: walletpassphrase [your walletpassphrase here to unlock your wallet followed by the unlock time in seconds] 600
(if you did not set a walletpassphrase, you can skip this step)

Type: dumpprivkey [your Bitcoin address here]

This will return the private key.  You can copy it now and paste it to a .txt file.  Ensure you clear your clipboard/history afterwards.

I recommend printing out the private key along with the bitcoin address and storing it somewhere safe.  You can also search your computer for the wallet.dat file and save it on a usb drive.  All you would need to claim the BTC from the address is the private key on a piece of paper.  You import that into any Bitcoin client to access your BTC.

Note:  You will have to have a Bitcoin public address ready before trying to get the private key.  You can do this by clicking around to request funds.  The address you would request to would be a public address you own and you would use that to get the private key.


If you found that helpful, send a tip to the address in my signature.  If not, feel free to ask questions.
sr. member
Activity: 371
Merit: 250
Thanks guys...I am working with OGNasty on this
legendary
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1119
http://silverwallets.com/instructions.html

We have directions on loading up a coin. We also sell them  Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 1118
Lie down. Have a cookie
I know how to receive and send BTC and thats it.

Ive looked online how to store bitcoins offline on a USB or something and it seems somewhat complicated

Is there any way to buy a funded physical coin or anything without the seller potentially having access to the private key and being able to empty the funds at a later date?

And if not...I am potentially willing to pay someone in BTC to take me through a dummy version of putting some BTC into cold storage
Three ways of doing this.

1. Have an offline computer. By offline, completely no internet connection and clean install. Put bitcoin core on in and generate some addresses. Then when you want to withdraw grab the private key and put it in a wallet connected to the internet and send your coins immediately. Or connect the non-connected computer to the internet and download the blockchain.

2. Have a buyer funded or pre-funded coin from a very well known seller of coins. i.e. Casascius, Smoothie (Lealana coins), mrbrt (Ravenbit).
mitchell (Silver Wallets) that are DIY coins. Generate your private address and stick it under the security hologram.
Then send your coins to that address.

3. Coinbase offers a "vault" which takes a couple days to withdraw. But trusting in someone else.

I might have some information slightly off, but that is what I have learned so far.
sr. member
Activity: 371
Merit: 250
I know how to receive and send BTC and thats it.

Ive looked online how to store bitcoins offline on a USB or something and it seems somewhat complicated

Is there any way to buy a funded physical coin or anything without the seller potentially having access to the private key and being able to empty the funds at a later date?

And if not...I am potentially willing to pay someone in BTC to take me through a dummy version of putting some BTC into cold storage
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