Author

Topic: Wallet - do I delete it? (Read 534 times)

legendary
Activity: 2506
Merit: 1010
March 31, 2013, 05:45:55 PM
#7
I'm sure I read that it is recommended somewhere whilst investigating bitcoin.

What you might have read is that if you have any old backup copies of your wallet.dat prior to protecting the wallet using the passphrase encryption that those old backups could still be used to spend the funds received to those addresses.

Even though you've now encrypted your wallet, the private keys used previously are still stored in the encrypted wallet -- they just are protected with encryption there now.  

So to protect even against the risk of loss due to those old backups, what you can do is spend the funds in your wallet to a brand new address from the same wallet after you've added passphrase encryption.    Then your old backups would not have any addresses that still have any funds on them.
full member
Activity: 182
Merit: 100
March 31, 2013, 01:33:18 PM
#6
Hi,

I have created my wallet and encrypted/backed up.

Do I now delete the wallet.dat file?

Thanks

1. Encrypt it
2. Save another copy
3. Encrypt the copy using a program such as AESCrypt
4. Copy it to an external server, pen drives etc.
5. If your computer blows up, you still have your bitcoins Wink
newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
March 31, 2013, 01:26:25 PM
#5
Perfect, thanks deepceleron  Smiley
legendary
Activity: 1512
Merit: 1036
March 31, 2013, 10:56:36 AM
#4
You back it up to protect against your computer dying or getting stolen.
You encrypt it so that others can't hack your computer and steal your coins.
You don't delete it, otherwise bitcoin would make a new blank wallet - deleting it is how you lose all your bitcoins (if you don't have a backup).

You should have made a backup after encrypting, and again after every 50 payments you send or addresses you create.
newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
March 31, 2013, 10:39:42 AM
#3
I don't, I'm asking if you are meant to once you've encrypted it and create backups.

I'm sure I read that it is recommended somewhere whilst investigating bitcoin.
legendary
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
March 31, 2013, 10:30:23 AM
#2
Why do you want to delete your wallet?
newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
March 31, 2013, 10:21:45 AM
#1
Hi,

I have created my wallet and encrypted/backed up.

Do I now delete the wallet.dat file?

Thanks
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