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In my %APPDATA%\Bitcoin folder (in Windows 7) I have a file called wallet.dat.rewrite
It was apparently last modified on 12th May 2011.
I don't think it's a file I created manually, so what is it?
What is the file wallet.dat.rewrite?
Answers
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Sometimes the wallet file must be rewritten from scratch entirely (in particular when encrypthing it), to prevent unencrypted material to remain in old never-overwritten areas of the file. To do this, bitcoin writes a new file (wallet.dat.rewrite) and then renames it to wallet.dat. If this process is interrupted, it's possible that the wallet.dat.rewrite file remains. You can delete it safely.
2Actually you should delete it, since it possibly contains your unencrypted private keys, and could maybe be used by a thief to gain access to your bitcoins without knowing your wallet password. – Chris Moore – 2012-06-20T17:49:30.903
No, it is the file to which the rewritten version is written. It is not a copy of the old file. – Pieter Wuille – 2012-06-20T19:48:52.593
1Fair enough then. :) So is it possible that OP's wallet.dat file is still unencrypted since wallet.dat.rewrite wasn't renamed over top of it? – Chris Moore – 2012-06-21T00:16:05.350