How to configure the official bitcoin client to conveniently use offline wallets?

9

This is a follow up question to "How can I keep my wallet secure?"

Is there a portable (at least Win32&64/Linux) to configure the official bitcoin client to use only offline wallets to be inserted in the usb slot for each transaction?

mbx

Posted 2011-08-30T23:59:28.087

Reputation: 637

Answers

4

You can use symbolic links to your bitcoin data folder or wallet.dat to the usb device location. You will still have to run bitcoin -rescan when you start the bitcoin client, and you will have to remove the link if you want to run bitcoin without the usb devices.

Note, however that you do not need to have an offline wallet online at anytime ever unless you are spending the money out of it. If you are only sending money to it then it can remain offline.

Joshua Kolden

Posted 2011-08-30T23:59:28.087

Reputation: 3 816

1Symbolic links should work for linux, but what about windows? – mbx – 2011-08-31T00:12:40.110

2True symbolic links work on linux and OS X. Short cuts on windows are not the same thing. However, you can alias your bitcoin command to provide the "-datadir" flag to point to the USB path. – Joshua Kolden – 2011-08-31T00:17:48.497

2

Symbolic links work on NTFS as well, since Vista: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_symbolic_link

– Domchi – 2011-08-31T20:42:46.140

Asked: 2011-08-30T23:59:28.087

Viewed: 657 times

Active: 2011-08-31T00:24:26.380