Topic: private key doesn't work (Read 443 times)

Provided you are using proper wallet software, then this should not happen.

A private key is simply a 256 bit number. Almost any 256 bit number is a valid private key, with the upper limit being slightly less than 2²⁵⁶ due to the order of the secp256k1 curve that bitcoin uses. If your wallet was to generate a 256 bit number above this limit by chance (somewhere in the region of 1 in 300 trillion trillion trillion chance), then as per BIP32 it should simply skip this value and proceed to the next one. The only way it could use an invalid 256 bit number as a private key would be to calculate it as modulo n, (with n being the order of the curve discussed above), which would result in a much smaller 256 number which is a valid key.

Seed phrases are generated from your entropy. Any 12 word seed phrase could be used to generate a seed number, as it is simply the input to the PBKDF2 function, which then generates the seed number for your wallet. However, the final word of standard BIP39 seed phrases contains a checksum for the rest of the phrase. Again, your wallet should automatically generate a valid checksum, but if it didn't, the seed phrase could still be used to generate a wallet while ignoring the invalid checksum.

The short answer is provided you are using an established wallet, then no, you do not have to worry about invalid seed phrases or private keys.

Good Morning all,

upon reviewing some of your replies i should make aware im very well versed in using back up phrases, having private keys. ive used private keys, electrum and even vanity addresses, rolled dice to get a key.

my question is maybe worded odd.

il try again.

has anyone hashed a private key or 12 word phrase that doesn't work?

This is just security through obscurity, and is generally a poor method to rely on for security of your seed phrase. Better to make sure you seed phrase is stored in a secret and secure location than to store it out in the open but try to obfuscate it like this. If you are going to store it where someone can find it, then better to encrypt it instead.

That's why you make back ups. Paper wallets, if generated properly and spent from properly (i.e. on permanently airgapped computers) are one of the safest ways to store bitcoin - completely airgapped, immune to being hacked or leaked online, practically immune to malware, easy to hide and store securely, etc. Set up correctly, they are safer than web, software, and hardware wallets. Their biggest draw back is that a lot of people create them in insecure ways, and then blame the paper wallet for their own mistakes.

Private keys do not contain spaces or words. You are thinking of seed phrases. Private keys are strings of letters and numbers.

Yeah right?

I mean aside from what you've said, I just wanted to add that a private key won't work if you accidentally have a typo, or add a space after a word for your private key, based on my experienced. So far, this is the first time I've heard something like this.

You can't even close a bitcoin wallet or delete it, even if we just assume that someone use your private key to do that.

That's actually a good suggestion but it would be really hard to look for those random words within the same book unless its a Dictionary. It would be also be bad for someone to keep their Bitcoin on a paper wallet since those kinds of wallet can be vulnerable into threats of being lost or teared apart.

I think OP is just saving the keys in paper wallet without tryng it first it's important to try your keys first before saving it so you will know at early stage that you save the right keys or if there are some problem from what you save   . If the wallet can't be open then there are missing or there are one characters added that should not be there.

It is very difficult for the private key to stop working as if nothing, the only way is that you are putting a letter or a wrong number, so it is always recommended before placing money in the wallet to open in different places with the key to see if everything works normally and keep the private key in safe places

What happened to you doesn't qualify as a private key issue. There are various formats and processes of deriving bitcoin address from private key. A same private key can be used to generate any of the three type of addresses. So it is important to mention which address type you want the wallet to show. If your importing wallet is used different format that doesn't mean your private key is invalidated.

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He doesn't mean email password but the password used to encrypt keystore file. If you are using long and secure password to encrypt keystore file, it is not easy to brute-force the password even if you get access to the file. But still saving such files in email is dumb-ass move. It is better to keep things in your hard-disk than email.

Are you just dumb or purposely being ignorant?
There's no way in hell your private key will malfunction as it is the only access to a user's funds which are on a decentralized wallet.

I never heard of such an issue before, the only issue I heard of was lose of privat key...

I ever it before, I have Segwit where a private key generated using an offline tool. when importing to electrum I had a surprise getting a different address. I need 2 days to understand what happens (because I made mistakes, didn't input script front of a private key)

Most people didn't recommend keeping those on email, I don't understand why you called secure?. Google, proton, yahoo, outlook have access to your email even you have a strong password.

Usually there is never a problem with the private key if you put it and copy it correctly other than if you did it wrong there will be a problem. but now there is an update so you just have to follow the update and it can save properly, it doesn't have to be in one place but at least 2 places that you are sure are not missing.

I myself don't use the private key but keep the keystore file and save it on USB and Email so it can be more secure. and I am safer using the keystore file because it is protected by a password. but again depending on your habits.

I do not understand your question correctly. Your question seems completely unreasonable to me. Why not your personal work? It’s something I don’t understand. This will definitely work if you store your private key in the right place. And I don't even understand what you mean by paper wallet. And I don't think anyone's private key will be okay but it won't work. I have never had such an experience and I don't think there is anyone.

I don't think there is such a thing. A properly stored and copied private key will save your assets. there has never been a breakdown of a private key that did not generate a wallet address. unless you lose it and it will lose your money too

So far, I have never had a problem with my private key, always work for me. And until now, I haven't found any incidents of private key
not working. As long as the private key we keep is valid, I think it will work. It is very important that we keep the private key in a secret
and secure place, if possible we try to memorize it.

no the op didnt have this problem but he is only asking it because he thinks that it can possibly happen not only to him but also to someone else . having a privatekey out of nowhere is also not possible if he didnt create a crypto wallet at first  and is there is such thing as checking the address if its working or not ? i guess no but the only way to check if the address is active if there are some funds with it  but what your doing is right , two or more is always better than one copy  .

Man, that's deep.

OP, have you checked your address first? Is it really working or what I meant is, did you really create a bitcoin address to have a private key?
This is why I always make a lot of physical back up. I don't want to mess everything up just to be secure with just 1 saved copy.
Out of curiosity, what wallet are you using? 

the solution to your worry is very simple, test your backup.
after you create the paper wallet (whether it has the private key written on it or the mnemonic or the encrypted private key or mnemonic) you have to test it by recovering your wallet using your backup after you created it to make sure you haven't made any mistakes.
it goes without saying that all of this should happen on an air-gap computer.

That's unlikely to happen. Private keys that were generated were always correct but if it's wrong, the error isn't in the generation but to the user who have saved the keys.

It's either there's a misspelled word or missed words upon writing the keys. You must remember that this is your total keys to your funds so be sure to write the right words and check it as you save a backup.

I haven't heard yet had an issue with the right private key.

As of now, the only problem I encountered yet is the wrong private key due to negligence. So my advice is to store them in a nice place or storage and create enough copies for backup.