<blockquote>
<p><strong>Are these bitcoin private keys? The parent folder was named Crypto and created in 2009 so I can't imagine what else they would be.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>They are nothing to do with Bitcoin.</strong></p>
<p>They are typical of security-related files created by Microsoft Windows. Files like this are present on probably every primary hard disk in, or extracted from, any computer that had been running Microsoft Windows.</p>
<p>The folder name &quot;Crypto&quot; refers to cryptography, literally &quot;hidden writing&quot;. &quot;Crypto&quot; does not, in this case, refer to cryptocurrency.</p>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Inside this folder is another folder named RSA,</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Bitcoin network uses ECDSA not RSA. Any Bitcoin software that encrypts locall storage of keys is likely to be using AES256 not RSA.</p>
<hr />
<p>Related:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/121908/13866">Lost bitcoin - advise and help</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/111298/13866">What are the formats of a private key?</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-06T00:49:59.877Z
Oh well. Thanks for the answer.
Larry
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-06T00:42:37.917Z
2024-12-06T00:50:45.540Z
2024-12-06T00:50:45.540Z
RedGrittyBrick
<p>I know I was trying to purchase bitcoin in the very early days 2009-2010. I moved across far away in late 2010 and left some belongings behind with family. As years have went by and bitcoin got valuable, I couldn't remember if I actually figured out how to buy from someone back then or where I had it stored if I did. But I have always felt like did purchase some.</p>
<p>I recently recovered those items I left behind and found an old external hard drive. The hard drive contains a folder named Crypto created in September 2009. Inside this folder is another folder named RSA, which I learned means Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, a public-key cryptography algorithm.</p>
<p>Inside that RSA folder is another folder named S-1-5-21-1234567890-0987654321-1122334455-9999 (edited for this post), which I have also learned indicates it's a Security Identifier (SID). Inside this folder are two Unix Executable Files and the files names are both in this format: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef_abcd1234-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab</p>
<p>There are 64 characters in each file name (0-9 and a-f), same as private keys. Also, the first 32 characters in each file name are unique, but the last 32 characters in each file name are identical to the other file. As you can see there is an underscore after the first 32 characters in each file name and several dashes within the last 32 characters.</p>
<p>Are these bitcoin private keys? The parent folder was named Crypto and created in 2009 so I can't imagine what else they would be. I have tried to import each file name minus the underscore and dashes as private keys into a popular wallet platform and it says Invalid Keys for both. I then tried to combine the first 32 characters of each and import that as the key and again it's saying Invalid Keys.</p>
<p>I am stumped. Any advice?</p>

<recover-private-key>
Trying to recover old wallet using what I hope are private keys - need help
Larry
# Trying to recover old wallet using what I hope are private keys - need help

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-05)

I know I was trying to purchase bitcoin in the very early days 2009-2010. I moved across far away in late 2010 and left some belongings behind with family. As years have went by and bitcoin got valuable, I couldn't remember if I actually figured out how to buy from someone back then or where I had it stored if I did. But I have always felt like did purchase some.

I recently recovered those items I left behind and found an old external hard drive. The hard drive contains a folder named Crypto created in September 2009. Inside this folder is another folder named RSA, which I learned means Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, a public-key cryptography algorithm.

Inside that RSA folder is another folder named S-1-5-21-1234567890-0987654321-1122334455-9999 (edited for this post), which I have also learned indicates it's a Security Identifier (SID). Inside this folder are two Unix Executable Files and the files names are both in this format: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef\_abcd1234-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab

There are 64 characters in each file name (0-9 and a-f), same as private keys. Also, the first 32 characters in each file name are unique, but the last 32 characters in each file name are identical to the other file. As you can see there is an underscore after the first 32 characters in each file name and several dashes within the last 32 characters.

Are these bitcoin private keys? The parent folder was named Crypto and created in 2009 so I can't imagine what else they would be. I have tried to import each file name minus the underscore and dashes as private keys into a popular wallet platform and it says Invalid Keys for both. I then tried to combine the first 32 characters of each and import that as the key and again it's saying Invalid Keys.

I am stumped. Any advice?

**Tags:** recover-private-key


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-12-06. Score: 0

> **Are these bitcoin private keys? The parent folder was named Crypto and created in 2009 so I can't imagine what else they would be.**

**They are nothing to do with Bitcoin.**

They are typical of security-related files created by Microsoft Windows. Files like this are present on probably every primary hard disk in, or extracted from, any computer that had been running Microsoft Windows.

The folder name "Crypto" refers to cryptography, literally "hidden writing". "Crypto" does not, in this case, refer to cryptocurrency.

---

> **Inside this folder is another folder named RSA,**

The Bitcoin network uses ECDSA not RSA. Any Bitcoin software that encrypts locall storage of keys is likely to be using AES256 not RSA.

---

Related:

* [Lost bitcoin - advise and help](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/121908/13866)
* [What are the formats of a private key?](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/111298/13866)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh well. Thanks for the answer.  

---

