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Using crypto wallets

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Gandalf86 edited this page Jul 21, 2018 · 1 revision

Locating the data directory

The data directory is the place where your balance, your settings etc. are stored. They are not meant to be touched by a normal user, but especially for smaller projects it is often necessary to do some things manually.

You can find the default paths here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Data_directory

The data directory for your cryptocurrency will be in a similar location, just with the name of your coin instead of "bitcoin".

Backing up your wallet

To make a backup of your coins, locate the data directory and copy the file called wallet.dat that is located within. This file contains your coins, or more accurately, your private keys.

Resetting everything

To reset everything (e.g. because something is broken) and start from scratch, do the following:

  1. Close the wallet.
  2. Rename your data directory. E.g. if the previous folder name was Bitcoin, rename it to Bitcoin-1
  3. Start the wallet again. It will now create a new folder called Bitcoin and will ignore the old data directory.
  4. If everything works, close the wallet and copy over your wallet.dat file from the old to the new data directory to import your private keys and get back your funds.

Supplying command line switches

Sometimes it is necessary to run the wallet with a so called "command line switch" that usually starts with a dash, like this: -rescan. How this is done depends on your operating system. Windows users typically don't know how to do this, so here is a simple method:

  1. Locate the binary of your wallet (the .exe file)
  2. Right click, create new shortcut
  3. Right click on the new shortcut, Properties
  4. Locate the "target" field that contains your binary name enclosed in double quotes, e.g.:
    • "C:\Users\username\Downloads\bitcoin.exe"
  5. Append your command line option outside of the quotes and with a space in between, like this:
    • "C:\Users\username\Downloads\bitcoin.exe" -rescan
  6. Save the shortcut
  7. Click on the shortcut

The program is now being executed with the command line option your inserted before.

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