Topic: Watch only wallet with Private key - page 2. (Read 929 times)

So you are saying you are experiencing the same strange behavior of a wallet "converting" to a watch only wallet on multiple different devices? Were any of those devices new, clean devices? Did you install Electrum from the same installer on each device, or did you download and verify it separately each time? Does anyone else have physical access to your devices?

It seems like either someone is trying really hard to make you deposit coins to an address you don't control, or you have some bug or malware across all your devices which is opening old wallets.

Did it happen even in your latest attempt?

Anyways, so the symptom's timing varies, interesting...
Are you sure that you're the only one who have access to your computer(s)?
Because it looks like someone has been creating the watch-only wallet by importing that address while you're away.
That's the only logical answer that I can think of.

I'm wondering, are you perhaps using "Deepfreeze" (wiki) or other similar software?

That's the correct pair, so it's working as intended.
IDK what that test is for though since the issue is about 'imported' wallet turning into 'imported - watching only' wallet.

My take is that another software is replacing the original wallet file with an old/different/watch only wallet file.
I don't know if it was meant for protection, or recovery, or it's a malware doing this, that's why one of my (and others') suggestions was to try this on another computer.
This doesn't look like a problem of Electrum, it looks like a problem with your system.

Yes guys I imported the key in my Electrum and got back the following address and private key from wallet

Address - 1EHNa6Q4Jz2uvNExL497mE43ikXhwF6kZm
Private key - p2pkh:5HpHagT65TZzG1PH3CSu63k8DbpvD8s5ip4nEB3kEsreAnchuDf

Now is it possible at all to explain to me the following:

If I import my private key that is compressed and starts with an L into my Electrum it gives me immediately an address that is empty and obviously belongs to the key. Orb is green so one can assume it is synced. Done and accepted. But I would like to understand why if I leave it like that where the address is empty and the wallet is imported, after 2 days (it varies) it turns to watching only and the address change to my original address which was never imported to Electrum.

I dont have other keys for my addresses and therefore I wonder if I did something wrong many years ago because how is that key somehow still inked to the address I still had? Is there any way to explain this then? Why? I even tried older versions and tried it on other computers but it still gives me the same result after a day or two. It can only mean that there is still a link to my address. I dont have the knowledge to explain this but maybe someone else can.


Thanks for the help

That just proved that your Electrum is working as intended.
Pmalek also instruct you to check if the private key that you'll get from "1EHNa6Q4Jz2uvNExL497mE43ikXhwF6kZm" is the same as the private key that you've imported.
('1EH' is publicly known, no need to censor that address)

The shortcut is to open the 'Addresses' tab ("View->Show addresses" to enable the tab), the right-click on the address and select 'Private key'.

Okay I imported the key into my Electrum and it synced 1391 transactions. Address starts with 1EH..........

It did it in approximately 30 seconds. Perfect.

Good day sir

Thanks for coming back to me on this frustrating topic. I want to import your key and send you the info I get but is it a Legacy wallet key? Its just for the prepend I want to add. Looks like an uncompressed Legacy wallet key. Right?

On 29 January I suggested that you try the recovery process on a different computer, a few other members have done the same, but I see you still haven't done that.
3 users you PMed have now recovered the same legacy address with no funds in it. The wallet type didn't change from imported to watch-only, which means the problem is local-yours.

Dump all your private keys from Bitcoin Core again and import them on a fresh Electrum install on a different and clean device. Post the exact download link for the Electrum software that you will install.

When you import a private key and click on Wallet > Private Keys > Export in Electrum, what does it show you? Does it show you the private key of the address? Have you tried to import a private key of an address that is not connected to any of your wallets or addresses to see how your Electrum acts? Try importing 5HpHagT65TZzG1PH3CSu63k8DbpvD8s5ip4nEB3kEsreAnchuDf. It's a leaked private key that is publicly available. Import it and see if you can sync, and then do the steps above to find that same private key.

OP has now also sent me what I presume is the same PM NeuroticFish and BlackHatCoiner have received above. OP, you really shouldn't send your private key(s) to random internet strangers, and especially not over unencrypted forum PMs.

However, I agree with the two posters above that this private key is empty. I have recovered every type of address I can, I've check all the uncompressed addresses, I've used the private key as an input in to a brain wallet with various hash rounds, I've checked a dozen private keys on either side, and various other weird and wonderful ideas, and all associated addresses are empty.

So Electrum versions as old as 1.8 will never sync, since they are prevented from doing so to protect against a vulnerability in old versions. If the orb changed to green (which means connected, which is impossible in version 1.8), then it sounds like the version of Electrum with the imported wallet with the wrong address crashed, and Electrum defaulted to opening your default wallet which is a completely unrelated watch only wallet, which is why you are mistakenly believing the wallet is converting itself from one to the other.

As I've suspected from the start, you have the wrong private keys written down. Do you still have access to your Bitcoin Core wallet files? They are now your only hope to recover these coins.

OP also sent me a PM and of course, I got what NeuroticFish got too. The same 14Yjou address with no money. @Bennas, the fact that you've written a valid private key (in Wallet Import Format) shows me that you've written it down correctly. However, this doesn't prove that it corresponds to the address you used those days. Maybe you noted down the private key of an address that was in your wallet, but not used. There's also a very small chance you miswrote a character and it was considered valid, which I don't want to believe it's the case.

You need to find the wallet file from the computer you had Bitcoin Core installed. The fault is on you regardless of how properly you think you handled it.

Busy with it as we speak sir. Fresh computer and fresh install

Also now trying Linux on yet another computer

Then back to Bitcoin Core older version.

I don't think me and my son will find any other keys.

Comes back to the same old story. Why did Electrum collect my correct addresses? And maybe if you leave the wallet on for maybe 24 hours it might also change to watching only with the other address. What do you think worth a try?

Have you tried importing the same private key in another computer?

I'm dumbstruck. I am not sure the way forward.

No, it didn't give watch only. It gave normal imported wallet. Just the corresponding address is 14YjouC6ba7MR6WJWE7Wjsa6FdDYwjkX2p, hence no 1 satoshi balance, no transactions.



I would assume that something is awfully wrong with your computer - whether that's a malicious Electrum, whether it's an antivirus, or some odd recovery/shielding setup, or plain malware, or user rights that doesn't allow writing onto that folder or something else I cannot tell.

The second thing to discuss is how did this private key could ever give a watch-only wallet with another address (i.e. the elusive 1AgV6A1vaRQ16G8sRR1VUW4r8EDnmdEBpy).


I just want to mention that Electrum did it with more than 1 version, all 8 keys imported at different instances and different laptops. All the addresses correspond and were correct. Coincidence? I don't think so. All watching only.

I am not sure if yours gave a watching only.

OK, so I've received in PM a private key.

OP wrote:


My Electrum also returns 14YjouC6ba7MR6WJWE7Wjsa6FdDYwjkX2p for that private key, hence the key is not the correct one for 1AgV6A1vaRQ16G8sRR1VUW4r8EDnmdEBpy

The first thing that I have to say is that unfortunately it seems that OP has probably noted down the wrong private keys and he should get them again, carefully, from his Bitcoin Core wallet. As long as Bitcoin core is in the state it can run, no internet is necessary for this.

The second thing to discuss is how did this private key could ever give a watch-only wallet with another address (i.e. the elusive 1AgV6A1vaRQ16G8sRR1VUW4r8EDnmdEBpy).

If you had downloaded a popular open-source calculator, stated that you verified the binaries and got 3 when you added 1 to 1, then what's more likely? For you to have misunderstood the problem or for the developers to have left a backdoor? I'm just telling you what's much more likely.

I'll send you a private key (with no funds) and you will record me a video where you import that key and get a watch-only wallet.

I get where you are coming from. I am just at a point with this case where it feels like a dead end. You for instance keep on telling me "IT CANNOT HAVE RETURNED YOU A WATCH-ONLY WALLET and I am telling you it does. Many times and many versions. Only one Satoshi in that wallet sir. I made sure. Nothing malicious from my side.

Would you mind if I sent you a private key and recorded the procedure?

Why do you want to send me a private key? I don't have the knowledge to help you.

But thank you for the help so far. Much appreciated.

It also warns you to not send sensitive messages and there's a reason for that. Besides o_e_l_e_o and Bennas the content may be readable from administrators and email providers. Why have we reached the point where the OP transfers private keys?

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This has abruptly started to sound very weird. I have a sneaking suspicion that there's something rather malicious with this case. I repeat: If you imported a private key IT CANNOT HAVE RETURNED YOU A WATCH-ONLY WALLET.

Would you mind if I sent you a private key and recorded the procedure?

Thank you I will send it now.