Topic: old armory wallet (2011/2012) help (Read 263 times)

ok im pretty sure that i created my wallet in 2014 now (remembered an important event around the time i created the wallet), so there never could have been a chaincode. at least i know i never had any bitcoin to lose in the first place.

Yes, without "Additional Data", the tool cannot cross-check if the possible characters will correctly restore the recovery phrase.

It can also take addresses and addresses can't be used to recover funds to a different wallet.

without the private key or address i don't see how i can use this utility? if i had the private key, i would just be able to use that in a different bitcoin wallet such as electrum right?

thank you, i will give it a try

I think you might want to give this tool a shot :
https://github.com/Coding-Enthusiast/FinderOuter

Lookout for the Armory section.

its a tool to recover armory root keys and chain code and if you can recall correctly the last 4 characters of each lines, it will be quite fast.

Else, you can always compile an older version on Windows or Linux to validate.

Cheers,

Mr goatpig, thanks for the information.

It's because I'm doing all this from memory. Any insight into the wallet id's etc helps. I don't think I can get any further without the chain code though so I have to leave this endeavour.


Thank you all

1.35c derives the chaincode deterministically from the root, hence why it's not part of the backup. If your backup has an explicit chaincode, you need to provide it to restore the wallet.


Why care? Just restore both and check for balance. When in doubt, scattershot. For what it's worth, the only way you can end up in this situation (recognize root without SP password applied) means just that: your root is unencrypted. It's perfectly possible to generate a SP pass for a wallet, then backup the unencrypted root instead, in which case the SP pass is useless.

so did some testing - basically it will derive a new wallet depending on what you put in, so for example

1. root key + chain code + secure print => wallet id 1
2. root key + chain code => wallet id 2
3. root key + secure print => wallet id 3
4. root key => wallet id 4

doesn't help me understand why I recognize the wallet id when I only use the root key and without the secure print code. The fact that I have a secure print code in my head is baffling in that instance as its valid and I wouldn't know how to create a fake one that validates.

I will do some more thinking about the chain code over the next few days, and I will have to leave it after that. My brain can't take much more digging around for old memories.

I can Google for some examples of old armory codes and see how they work. Do you know what the chain code represents? How does it relate to the root key and wallet id?

Yeah, what nc50lc said... The earlier versions of the restore process required 4 lines of input... only the 1.35c version is two lines of root key (+ secureprint code, if any).

Either, your memory isn't quite correct and your wallet isn't from as long ago as you think... or older roots are also compatible with 1.35c and will work without the chaincode. I don't know if this is actually possible, as like I said, I don't have an older paper backup version to test.

paging @goatpig

well thats probably as far as I will get on that, I will have a think about that chain code and see if I can remember anything about it, but at this point it seems unlikely.

thanks again

Unfortunately yes.
Armory v0.90-beta (November 2013) and above will create a backup v1.35c which only has two lines.

Reference: https://github.com/etotheipi/BitcoinArmory/issues/157#issuecomment-31595353
(etotheipi is the owner of the previous Armory repository)

Thanks for the response.

So
Problem 1. I have no (concious) recollection of any chain code.
Problem 2. That 3 weeks of meditation / hypnosis nearly killed me. Not sure how far I will get if I try again.

Just to clarify, the v1.35c wallet format is tied to v0.90 of armory? There's no way I could have had only a root key and secure print code in 2012 ish?

Might have hit a blocker if that's the case.

Really appreciate your help, if there is anything else you can think of that could help me please let me know.

thanks

You wont be able to restore it to the oldest version because it requires a "Chaincode" alongside the "Root Key" and "SecurePrint™ Code".
Specifically old versions lower than v0.90; You can only restore your backup to Armory versions that support 'backup version 1.35c'.

I think that's what HCP meant by the long "sooooo". Because what you said and what you have didn't matched.

Try remember the Chaincode which is another two lines similar to the root key, then you can try to restore it to the oldest version.

Yes its possible that my memory is incorrect - however the restore process does validate the key and secure print code which gives me some hope. Is there any way to even run the old versions? i guess i have to build the source and try run it?

when you say looking at the restore process, what are you looking at exactly?

thank you for your response btw, really appreciate it.

Oldest version I can find is here: https://github.com/goatpig/BitcoinArmory/releases?after=v0.85-beta

As for getting different root keys... it's possible that the root key you have, is for an old wallet format... and the new root key you're getting is the version 1.35c version. Unfortunately, I don't have an old version root key to test my theory with.

But looking at the restore process, it only offers 1.35, 1.35a and 1.35c... and only 1.35c is 2 lines soooo


Unfortunately, It's difficult to be sure of anything given the history and circumstances of how you retrieved your root key. It's entirely possible that your memory is incorrect or incomplete.

Hopefully goatpig might be able to offer some insights.

hello, I need some assistance. So a in around 2011/2012 I created an armory wallet. No idea if I put any bitcoin in. I lost the paper backup (had some mental health issues and paperwork just got destroyed). I had a pretty rough existence for the next 10 years - only just managed to get my life back together recently.

I only remembered creating the wallet recently like February 2021 and so I spent 3 weeks meditating and using self hypnosis I was able to recall the Root key and the Secure print code (yes that's 72 character root key and random 12 alpha numeric password I got from memory, I think I'm slightly autistic no judgement please). Now here is the issue:

I distinctly remember the backup procedure for armory and the root key and secure print code should have given me a wallet ID of XYZ (that just example). However when I performed the restore recently I got Wallet ID XYZ from only the root key. When I added the secure print code to the restore procedure I got wallet ID ABC - which I don't understand how that's possible.

Also if I create a new backup of wallet XYZ I now get a completely new root key back - nothing like the root key I put in to armory which created wallet ID XYZ. Its very likely that I never actually bought any bitcoin in the first place, but I would like to really confirm that is the case.

Are there any armory experts out there who know if the internal workings of armory changed between 2011 and now and how it might affect root keys etc? is there any way to get an older version (2011) of armory that I can play with so I can try the backup restore with backup root key and secure print code that was in my head??

Much appreciated, its ok if I don't get any money out of this, I just want peace of mind really. (wallets have all been empty so far)

thank you