just some ideas from my previous mistakes and misadventures with QT over several coins.
First above all - make sure you have backed up your wallet/s. Back up and save the wallet.dat to more than 1 place (a few usb memory sticks) - (and if possible, if you know what I am talking about - check the size of the file against the backup file in App data roaming Ultracoin etc).
You should be able to just extract the Ultracoin folder and run the setup.exe in that folder - and it should give you the new wallet with your coins all intact in an updated wallet. That being said - many times the remnants of the old wallet and the bugs in the Windows system you use cause some issues - and I just dont do it like that anymore for any wallet - up to you.
2nd - never transfer coins to an exchange if you dont need to. Bad things can happen on exchanges - and Cryptsy is about due for some. Keep your coins under your control.
With Cryptsy - there is another issue that folks need to be aware of. With a wallet change and other changes coming 1st Nov there is a good chance that Cryptsy will put the UTC wallet in maintenance mode. This will allow no transfers in or out. They are very slow at reinstating the wallet - so it may take a month if history repeats. A recent good example to the extreme is DEM down for 4 months. So my advice - do not transfer to cryptsy. Keep your coins under your control.
If it was me - I would install the new wallet on another computer. When its synced the blockchain - test and send it a few UTC and send some back. If it works - encrypt your wallet with a password AND make wallet backups - send all your UTC to the new wallet on the other computer.
This has another advantage - if you stake a lot you have maybe thousands of small transactions and sending to a new wallet cleans out these cobwebs. Be prepared to adjust transaction fees if you get asked because lots of small transactions require more data to be sent as part of the transaction. Send in decent size chunks to minimise the number of staking blocks and maximise your stake payouts in the future.
Then - if you really want your UTC back on your original computer. - Back up your old empty wallet (always keep old empty dead wallet backups - why - cos Satoshi Nakamoto said so). Save to a few usb memory sticks. Uninstall Ultracoin QT from Control Panel/Programs etc. Go to (make sure - Show Hidden Files is selected in Windows) Users/username/APP data/Roaming and DELETE the Ultracoin folder (with prev data and your wallet.dat file).
Restart the computer and do a clean install of the new wallet. Sync and test with a few small transactions. Encrypt and backup. Send your UTC back to this new wallet on you old computer.
Your choice - but if you have wallet backups - nothing can make you lose your UTC in the end. There is always a fix.
Hi folks,
Thanks for all the hard work in keeping the coin going!
Could I just check. I have my UTC on my windows qt, minting away. What do I need to do to upgrade without risking losing my coins? Should I transfer them to say cryptsy or something, do the upgrade and then transfer them back, or is there an easier way?
Please bear in mind, I am a novice at all this...
Many thanks,
Roister