<p>2009 btc private key but no address. 
I was given btc in 2009 and also mined for a few weeks too. 
My dad still had every hard drive he has ever used. So i have found a couple of files that have private keys.</p>

<p>I was looking for one address and instead found a few private keys. 
So i have questions. Were the public and/or private keys from 2009 and 2010 in the same format? If thats the case then all the instructions i find are all for wallets that arent 10 years old.
So howdo i get the actual address for the private key?</p>

<p>Is bitadd.org just going to create a new address? Would it even reconize a private key that old?  According to an article i read the update wasnt compatiable with the older version that was used and some changes hadto be made so that everything was compatable again. So with my wallet. Having been offline this whole time im thinking extra steps will be needed to recover my bitcoin.<br>
Is there someome who would take a moment to please give me step by step instructions on how to do this.? </p>

<p>I seriously left my job to find my old btc and i am at a loss. I am not computer savy. Nor do i have knowledge outside of the basic about what i am doing here. It takes years to learn this stuff.<br>
Btw, no walle.datfile. just private keys. Im not entirely sure that the wallet.dat was even a thing back in 2009</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-03T17:46:25.140Z
Is it in the WIF format, starting with `5`?
MCCCS
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-03T18:28:17.680Z
The WIF format only appeared in 2011. wallet.dat has existed since 2009.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-03T23:21:30.917Z
You’re very unlikely to have this timeline correct. There was probably only tens of people using BTC in 2009, much less anybody dealing with the keys raw like that.
Claris
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-05T17:13:12.530Z
I have recovered 1 that does not have a wif format.it doesnt have all the additional types either. Just key private key and barcodes .
Erica Dawn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-05T17:16:28.720Z
The timeline is accurate. I am almost certain of that. As far as the exact month, unsure.  That year my dads computer sat in the hallway and a small desk and that was where it was when all this happened.
Erica Dawn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-05T19:06:50.743Z
Pieter, question... So if i were to put a private key into so.ething like bitaddress would it generate a WIF format? Because i put a few into there to see if it would show the pub. key that goes withthe priv. key.
Erica Dawn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-05T19:09:12.083Z
And also, does that website generate a new address to go with the priv key or does it show the actual original address? I am struggling with the bitcoin core download too.my dads computer doesnt have windows 10.... Or 8 or 7! But is 64 bit capable. Cant change that in vista though. So using my laptop ive attempted to make a live bootable usb using lili for linux.when i put it i to dads computer, it just sticks on a black sxreen with likesome system check info. What am i missing here. Guessing the vista thing is just a waste of time and energy but its what i have to work with
Erica Dawn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-07T15:31:02.143Z
@EricaDawn: Please be very careful what you reveal about your data. Do not share the key with anyone, and do not put the key into random websites, there may be some that simply steal your funds when they get the key. We have a number of questions that deal with recovery of old funds. Did the computer you found still have the Bitcoin software installed? How did you determine that you have found a private key? It may be possible to import the private key directly into a thin client wallet to check to find out whether there are funds associated with the key.
Murch
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-08T16:28:08.220Z
It was found in a music folder but the file type was bitcoin something or another. Which i remember hiding it in there. I only kept the private key  though  i just copied and pasted it. I do still have the original hard drive. Im just not sure what to look for other than the wallet.dat file. I most certianly renamed the entire folder since i wasnt supposed to download stuff to my dads computer. Which leaves me to sift threw like 50000 files. With no knowledge of what to look for. If i knew what was in a wallet file from 2009-2010 then it would be easier.
Erica Dawn
<wallet><address>
Question about public addresses
Erica Dawn
# Question about public addresses

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-03)

2009 btc private key but no address.
I was given btc in 2009 and also mined for a few weeks too.
My dad still had every hard drive he has ever used. So i have found a couple of files that have private keys.

I was looking for one address and instead found a few private keys.
So i have questions. Were the public and/or private keys from 2009 and 2010 in the same format? If thats the case then all the instructions i find are all for wallets that arent 10 years old.
So howdo i get the actual address for the private key?

Is bitadd.org just going to create a new address? Would it even reconize a private key that old? According to an article i read the update wasnt compatiable with the older version that was used and some changes hadto be made so that everything was compatable again. So with my wallet. Having been offline this whole time im thinking extra steps will be needed to recover my bitcoin.  
Is there someome who would take a moment to please give me step by step instructions on how to do this.?

I seriously left my job to find my old btc and i am at a loss. I am not computer savy. Nor do i have knowledge outside of the basic about what i am doing here. It takes years to learn this stuff.  
Btw, no walle.datfile. just private keys. Im not entirely sure that the wallet.dat was even a thing back in 2009

**Tags:** wallet, address

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Is it in the WIF format, starting with `5`?  
> **username_2**: The WIF format only appeared in 2011. wallet.dat has existed since 2009.  
> **username_3**: You’re very unlikely to have this timeline correct. There was probably only tens of people using BTC in 2009, much less anybody dealing with the keys raw like that.  
> **username_0**: I have recovered 1 that does not have a wif format.it doesnt have all the additional types either. Just key private key and barcodes .  
> **username_0**: The timeline is accurate. I am almost certain of that. As far as the exact month, unsure.  That year my dads computer sat in the hallway and a small desk and that was where it was when all this happened.  
> **username_0**: username_2, question... So if i were to put a private key into so.ething like bitaddress would it generate a WIF format? Because i put a few into there to see if it would show the pub. key that goes withthe priv. key.  
> **username_0**: And also, does that website generate a new address to go with the priv key or does it show the actual original address? I am struggling with the bitcoin core download too.my dads computer doesnt have windows 10.... Or 8 or 7! But is 64 bit capable. Cant change that in vista though. So using my laptop ive attempted to make a live bootable usb using lili for linux.when i put it i to dads computer, it just sticks on a black sxreen with likesome system check info. What am i missing here. Guessing the vista thing is just a waste of time and energy but its what i have to work with  
> **username_4**: @username_0: Please be very careful what you reveal about your data. Do not share the key with anyone, and do not put the key into random websites, there may be some that simply steal your funds when they get the key. We have a number of questions that deal with recovery of old funds. Did the computer you found still have the Bitcoin software installed? How did you determine that you have found a private key? It may be possible to import the private key directly into a thin client wallet to check to find out whether there are funds associated with the key.  
> **username_0**: It was found in a music folder but the file type was bitcoin something or another. Which i remember hiding it in there. I only kept the private key  though  i just copied and pasted it. I do still have the original hard drive. Im just not sure what to look for other than the wallet.dat file. I most certianly renamed the entire folder since i wasnt supposed to download stuff to my dads computer. Which leaves me to sift threw like 50000 files. With no knowledge of what to look for. If i knew what was in a wallet file from 2009-2010 then it would be easier.  

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## 0 answers

