Wallet empty after multiple crashes

Troubleshooting
21

And just to make sure:

You can start Reddcoin Core the regular way, as you always started. You don’t need the shortcut (with -rescan) any more, that was for one time only, to make sure your balance was displayed correctly.

22

Thank you for the tip, I appreciate it. :).

23

Thanks for your information, it means that I have been wrong using RDD wallet backups, because my way is when RDD wallet is offline,% appdata%, roaming then open RDD wallet and copy wallet.dat and save it.

24

I would recommend the backup method using Reddcoin Core itself. So, via File -> Backup wallet….

By doing so, you are sure you have the correct backup file.

25

Hello again. I’m in trouble, but this time it should be easier.
I updated my wallet to 3.10. First I backed up the wallet. I had the program put the files in a new Reddcoin directory. I started the application and it registered all the RDD it was supposed to. I wanted to delete the old directory but the system told me that it couldn’t do that because a file was open in another application. So I closed the wallet. I deleted the old directory. When I opened up RDD again, it told me it had no RDD, the wallet was syncing, and it was 6 years and 23 weeks behind.

I went to our previous conversations and tried starting Reddcoin Core with the –rescan option/argument. That did not work. It still said no RDD, wallet is syncing and 6years and 23 weeks behind.

Since I have a backup, how do I use it? There is no obvious way from the readily available dropdown menus.

26

Please check which version of Reddcoin Core you are using. You can find this info in the debug window (Help -> Debug window). If you using v3.10.0, please update to the latest v3.10.1. This version has bugfixes and is heavily recommended. You can download it from here: https://download.reddcoin.com/bin/reddcoin-core-3.10.1/. If you need help with this, let me know.

 

 

Now onto your issue…

There are two directories that are relevant for Reddcoin:

  • The installation folder. This folder holds the Reddcoin Core program, the wallet software. When updating/upgrading the wallet software, the files in this folder are updated/upgraded.

    You can find the location of this folder via the shortcut (right click -> properties) you use to run Reddcoin Core.

  • The data folder. This folder holds the import files: your blockchain data AND your wallet.dat file.

    Use the steps described earlier to find this folder.

 

When Reddcoin Core (the wallet software) is started, it looks to your data folder, finds the blockchain data and your wallet.dat, and loads everything so the user can start using Reddcoin Core.

After reading your post, I think the issue is that Reddcoin Core looks into another data folder, so it does not load your blockchain data and wallet.dat, resulting in 6 years of syncing and 0 RDD.

 

There are a few things we could do to solve your issue. But, before I start suggesting, I want to know a few things, so I have the whole picture of the situation.

 

  • What is - according to Reddcoin Core - your data folder? To find this, you can use the steps you used earlier.

  • What is - according to you - your data folder? You previously copied some files over, it might be that folder. You also had files on your N: partition… If you don’t know the answer to this question, let me know.

 

Recovering from a wallet.dat file is really easy, you have to place it in the correct location. So, don’t worry about that…

27

Thanks for your quick response.

According to the Debug window, I am using v3.10.0.14-443248e-beta. I did not update it to v3.10.1 yet. I didn’t want to complicate matters.

The Debug lob file shows:

Using data directory C:\Eds Files\EInvestments\PB Infinity - crypto\Reddcoin\data

I had copied the folder in C: over to N: and that is where I thought the data directory would be since I started the Reddcoin core from the executable in N:

Can I just copy the backup wallet.dat into the data directory in C: and then start the core from C:?

How would I get it to use the directory in N:?

  • Ed
28

When you start Reddcoin Core for the first time, it asks you to select a folder to save your data (blockchain, wallet, etc).

After selecting a folder (or using the default), it will use that folder from that moment on.

To select a different folder, you need to use the -choosedatadir option/argument. When you start Reddcoin Core with that option/argument, it will ask you to select a data folder, which is what you want. In your case, you can select the folder on your N: drive.

Make sure your ‘correct’ wallet.dat file is in the folder that you select.

To start with -choosedatadir, do the same steps you did before for -rescan, but instead of using -rescan, use -choosedatadir.

So, it would look something like this:
C:\...\...\reddcoin-qt.exe" -choosedatadir

 

Let me know if this has worked out for you.

29

And after your wallet loads and works as expected, update to v3.10.1. :).

30

I did as you instructed. I put the wallet backup in the data directory in C: because when I tried to do it in N: it said it needed 20GB of space and that wasn’t available. I started the Reddcoin Core. It showed no RDD but it did show the recent transactions. It showed 6 years and 23 weeks behind. After a while it said 6 years and 21 weeks and then 6 years and 19 weeks. I thought that it just needed time. This morning, after synchronizing all night, it still says 6 years and 19 weeks.

  • Ed
31

Okay, I’ve lost the overview of were your files are…

I will just use the term “data folder”, with this I mean the folder that you selected to be used for your blockchain data and wallet.dat file.

 

Your issue is that the blockchain on your computer is not fully synced. Blockchain holds all the Reddcoin transactions, you need the complete blockchain to be able to do transactions. So, the blockchain needs to be fully synced before you can continue.

 

You can speed the blockchain syncing up by bootstrapping. With this method, you only need to sync the a few weeks instead of years.

The instructions are here: https://wiki.reddcoin.com/Bootstrap_the_Reddcoin_Blockchain.

32

Thank you. That did it. It came up 7 weeks behind and synchronized up to date.

  • Ed
33

Glad to hear.

If you have any other issues, let me know.

34

I tried to move the site where I load Reddcoin from. It was on my portable N: drive and I wanted it on the C: drive. When I finished that, it loaded up with zero balances, the list of recent transactions including one dated today, and the notice that it was 6 years and 26 weeks behind, “Reindexing blocks on disk.”

I went to our previous conversations and found instructions for syncing up bootstrapping with instructions here: https://wiki.reddcoin.com/Bootstrap_the_Reddcoin_Blockchain

When I went there, the zip file downloaded and I extracted it. The result was a folder with two folders in it: blocks and chainstate. Blocks has 48 DAT files with 3,695,430,533 bytes and Chainstate with 199 files, mostly LDB files, with 400,089,524 bytes. There were no executable files. The single Text Document was mostly non-readable symbols.

I saw in the conversations we had before that I seemed to go to the instructions and follow them to solve my problem. I don’t recall how that worked before but it doesn’t seem to be working now.

Please help one more time.

  • Ed
35

You’re not completing the steps…

You move the files. The missing step needed is to start with -choosedatadir, as explained here: Wallet empty after multiple crashes.

You download the bootstrap, but you search for an executable file? You only need to place them in the right folder, as explained in the tutorial…

 
 

Do this:

  • I assume you have the wallet.dat with your coins in it and a backup of it. When I use wallet.dat in the next steps, I refer to this file, the wallet.dat with your coins in it.

  • Make sure Reddcoin Core is not running.

  • Make sure the folder you want to move to is empty. Let’s say you want the Reddcoin data folder to be on the N: drive, and it already exists, rename it (for example: you want to use N:/Reddcoin, but it already exists, rename it to N:/old_Reddcoin).

  • Now, start Reddcoin Core with -choosedatadir. Reddcoin Core will start and ask you to select the location where you want to save your data files (blockchain etc). Select the folder you want to use on your N: drive.

  • After selecting it, Reddcoin Core will create the files it needs in the folder you have selectef (on N:). Reddcoin Core will resume running and will start syncing.

  • Now, exit Reddcoin Core. Make sure it’s not running anymore.

  • Now, the bootstrapping part comes in.

  • Go to your folder on the N: drive. Rename the existing blocks and chainstate folders.
    blocks → old_blocks
    chainstate → old_chainstate

  • Download the bootstrap zip file. Extract/unzip it. The contents of it are 2 folders: blocks and chainstate.

  • Move these 2 folders from previous step to your folder on the N: drive.

  • The folder on your N: drive will also have a wallet.dat file. Rename this file to old_wallet.dat. This wallet should have 0 RDD.

  • Copy your backup wallet.dat (with your RDDs) to the folder on the N: drive.

  • Now, start Reddcoin Core again.

  • Reddcoin Core will now start syncing, but it should only sync 20+ weeks instead of 6 years. Wait until it finishes syncing.

  • Your RDDs should visible in the wallet, check if your balance is as expected.

  • If everything is OK, you can delete the old/renamed files. (You don’t need them anymore.)

Let me know if all goes OK, or if you need help.

36

For your info:
v3.10.2 supports ‘headers first’. What this means is that syncing from zero should be much faster then in earlier versions. So, bootstrapping shouldn’t be necessary.

I haven’t had time to test the difference in syncing on v.3.10.2, so that’s why I (still) suggest bootstrapping.

Also, you have bootstrapped successfully earlier in our discussion; that’s why I still prefer the bootstrapping method.

37

@smartmac, how did it go?

38

I haven’t answered as I’m embarrassed to admit I can’t get it to work. I may have even made things worse.

I did the bootstrapping instructions or thought I did. I’m doing everything on C: now. I may be confused. I renamed Reddcoin to old-Reddcoin. I made a Reddcoin folder with the wallet.dat file in it. Then clicked on the core executable datadir shortcut in old-Reddcoin. I told it were the wallet.dat file was and it loaded still empty and 6 years 23 weeks out of sync.

I went back to instructions figuring I had done something wrong but wasn’t sure what.
I put the current wallet.dat file in C:Reddcoin\data. I used the procedure to specify that as the data directory. I created a shortcut to ask me the question and told it where to find the data directory. When I OK’d the shortcut, it started Reddcoin core. It took quite a long time to load. A popup Reddcoin - Error window came up saying “Error: a fatal interior error occurred, see debug.log for details”. When I OK’d that, the Reddcoin window closed. I tried clicking on the new shortcut again. Again I got the same error message. I tried clicking on the normal executable file to load Reddcoin with the same result. So I don’t know how to access the debug.log.

Now I’m worse off the before as I can’t get the core to load so I can check the debug file.

39

As long as you have a backup of your wallet.dat file, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. (You have a backup, right?)

Before we start, I would like to know the location where you want to save the Reddcoin data (blockchain, wallet.dat etc). Can you give me the exact location?
 

I think it would be wise to start all over again.

I don’t know what the exact situation on your end is, and I don’t want you to lose anything, so that’s why I wouldn’t recommend deleting files.

 

Step 1: Uninstall Reddcoin Core.

  • Make sure Reddcoin Core is not running. Use the uninstaller to remove Reddcoin Core. (This will not remove any wallet.dat file or your blockchain files.)

 

Step 2: Rename folders.

  • If I am correct, you have folders on the C: drive and the N: drive (folders with the Reddcoin blockchain data). Rename these folders, put something in front of the name for example.

 

Step 3: Install Reddcoin Core.

 

Step 4: Run Reddcoin Core.

  • This is important: it should ask you where you want to save the blockchain data. Select the location you want to use.

  • If it doesn’t ask where you want to save the files, let me know.

 
 

Can you follow these steps and let me know how far you get? We’ll continue with the remaining steps, but I want to know if the basics are OK before we continue.
 

If everything works out fine, do not bootstrap. Let Reddcoin Core sync on its own, give it a day. It should sync faster on the most recent version.
 

If you have Telegram, you can contact me there. I think that would be a much faster way of communication.

 
 

If this doesn’t work out at all, I could also have a look at it with you using remote desktop software (view only, without taking over control). As a last resort.

40

Your first question was where do I want to store Reddcoin. It’s on the C: drive.
Second, I don’t know about Telegram.
Third. You have me stopping when Reddcoin asks me where to save the blockchain data.
I’m assuming that I should/can use Reddcoin\data as the location.
Also assuming that I should put my backup in there, naming it wallet.dat.
I will wait for an answer, as I don’t want to stop when it asks me where I want to save the blockchain data.