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I didn't create a private key for my bitcoin address and am unable to do anything with these coins. How do I resolve this issue?
I cannot send bitcoins from my block chain wallet because I don't have the private key. Where is it located?
Answers
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In order to properly create a Bitcoin address, you need to create it from a private key. If you just start from the middle of address generation - say a public key or a result of a hash, you are not guaranteed to have a private key that can be associated with that address. In order to recover a private key that was never used to create an address would require you to brute force all the private keys, which at the moment is computationally impossible (might be more possible in 50+ years). This is in place to ensure that nobody can steal your coins.
If you are using Bitcoin honestly, however, you should find your private keys stored it wallet.dat in the Bitcoin data directory, or in case of using eWallets - online.
Address created in blockchain.info/mywallet. I will follow thru on your suggestion. Thank you. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:11:51.287
@susan: Above you said you imported it in blockchain.info. Here you're saying you created it in blockchain.info. Did you create it and then later import it? – David Schwartz – 2012-10-11T14:35:35.130
@DavidSchwartz: Sorry for the confusion. I opened an acct. with blockchain.info/mywallet. Address auto created when acct established. Once coins are in mywallet, another is auto created, therefore, my wallet has 2 addresses currently, one holding bitcoins which I placed under "watch list" and 0 bitcoins on the newest address. MyWallet creates this extra security measure. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:50:33.423
I've made several mistakes regarding wallet: 1) no patience, servers slow that day in deposits 2) not understanding process of addresses changing in mywallet upon coin deposit, 3) putting address with "missing deposit" on "watch only" to find out where they went, which was to my account but much later typical due to server issue. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:54:44.947
As far as I can tell, you can only add a watch-only address that you already have. I don't see any way to create a watch-only address or convert an existing address to watch-only. So I still can't quite tell what you did. I played with the interface on every screen and I can't find any way to convert an account from a regular account to a watch only account. – David Schwartz – 2012-10-11T14:56:02.843
@DavidSchwartz: I converted my address to "watch only". The bitcoins finally showed up but without private key, I cannot un-watch or spend. – susan – 2012-10-11T15:25:08.120
I've searched the user interface and I can't find any option to convert an address to "watch only". In any event, it sounds like you you never backed up the private key and don't have it anywhere. Sorry, without the private key, the coins are lost. I am still completely mystified how you could have done this though -- there doesn't seem to be any way to create an address without putting its private key in your wallet nor does there seem to be any way to remove a private key once it's there. – David Schwartz – 2012-10-11T15:32:41.003
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You haven't stated from where you obtained the Bitcoin address in the first place.
It didn't come from the same wallet in Blockchain.info/wallet because Blockchain.info/wallet won't let you watch one of your own addresses.
If the address is from your Bitcoin.org client (i.e., Bitcoin-Qt), then you simply spend from the Bitcoin.org client and not from Blockchain.info/wallet.
If the address is from another EWallet on Blockchain.info, simply log into the correct wallet and spend from that.
If the address is from an EWallet on some other service, e.g., on Mt. Gox, then you will need to go there to withdraw any funds that you've received.
Hopefully you can remember from which wallet or EWallet service you obtained the Bitcoin address from originally.
If you ended up creating a second EWallet on Blockchain.info/wallet and in that second EWallet is where you entered the watch-only address, then there are ways to regain access to the original EWallet, even if you didn't bookmark the url, enter an e-mail address, or a nickname even. – Stephen Gornick – 2012-10-11T17:44:41.883
Thanks for this information ALL. I must have started another wallet in trying to figure out the system. Fortunately, it wasn't much money as I am testing out the processes. Starting over :-) This information helps greatly. I will try to jog my memory. – susan – 2012-10-11T18:45:02.207
1Just to clarify, are you saying that you imported "Watch Only" Bitcoin addresses into your Blockchain.info/wallet, but don't have the private key for it? – Stephen Gornick – 2012-10-11T04:31:39.053
Are you using a client, or an eWallet? – ThePiachu – 2012-10-11T07:01:04.173
1@ThePiachu: I think she means she's using blockchain.info MyWallet. – Meni Rosenfeld – 2012-10-11T08:43:16.120
How did you get this bitcoin address in the first place? What makes it yours? – David Schwartz – 2012-10-11T13:30:11.060
@StephenGornick: Yes, I imported "Watch Only" on my address. Reason, Bitcoins didn't post to BlockChain.info/wallet. Issue: slow servers, but resolved, available now. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:02:37.270
@ThePiachu: using Blockchain.info/MyWallet. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:04:30.873
With all that said, Issue: didn't establish Private Key and cannot take Address off "Watch Only", or "Send" even to my new address without Private Key. Any suggestions. I'm a newbie. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:07:27.360
@DavidSchwartz: the bitcoins purchased thru money-gram. Being a newbie, I ignored warning of "watch list" and cannot send/spend w/out private key, which I didn't create in the blockchain.info/mywallet account. I need to either create a private key, or I am completely misunderstanding the process. – susan – 2012-10-11T14:29:23.910
@susan: Where did this bitcoin address come from in the first place? You describe it as "my bitcoin address". How did it become yours? Where did you get it from? If you imported it as "watch only", you must have already had it from somewhere, somehow. – David Schwartz – 2012-10-11T14:32:41.763