The Frustrating Bitcoin Verification Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
As an experienced Bitcoin user, you have probably encountered numerous hurdles while verifying your wallet. One such issue is the error message “Bitcoin Core 28.0 cannot be verified”. In this article, we will explain the steps required to resolve this frustrating issue and explore alternative solutions.
The Problem: Bitcoin Core 28.0 cannot be verified
When you try to verify your Bitcoin Core (BTC) wallet using the command “gpg.exe –verify SHA256SUMS.asc”, you will receive an error message stating that there are no signed data files in the format expected by GnuPG. More specifically, that response is:
gpg: no signed data gpg: cannot hash data file: No...
Step 1-9: A quick summary of Bitcoin Core and verification
To help you understand why your wallet fails to verify, let’s quickly summarize the process:
- Step 0-6: You’ve installed Bitcoin Core (BTC) from the official GitHub repository.
- Step 7: You’ve created a new wallet using the
bitcoin-clicommand line tool.
- Step 8: You’ve updated your Bitcoin Core to version 28.0 or higher using the
bitcoin-cli updatecommand.
- Step 9: You’ve run the
gpg.exe --verify SHA256SUMS.asccommand to verify your wallet.
Why can’t I verify my wallet?
The error message “Bitcoin Core 28.0 cannot be verified” indicates that there are problems with the data file generated during the verification process. Here’s why:
- Bitcoin Core stores its configuration and data in a binary file format that cannot be read directly by GnuPG.
- The SHA256SUMS.asc file used for verification contains sensitive information about the state of your wallet, including transactions, addresses, and other key values.
Alternative solutions:
To fix the problem, you can try these alternative approaches:
Method 1: Use another verification tool
Instead of “gpg.exe”, you should use another GnuPG-based verification tool such as “gpg –verify” or “bcl –verify”. You can also use third-party tools such as “bitcoin-cli verify” to perform the verification.
bitcoctl verify 28.0
Method 2: Use a custom hash function
If you have access to your wallet’s binary, you can try using a custom hash function (e.g. SHA256) instead of GnuPG’s built-in hash algorithm. This requires creating a custom hash function implementation and generating the data file manually.
openssl dgst -sha256 bitcoin-core-28.0.bin > bitcoin-core-28.0.sha256
gpg --verify bitcoin-core-28.0.sha256
Method 3: Create a new wallet
If none of the above methods work, you may need to create a new wallet or upgrade your existing one to a newer version that uses a different hash function.
Conclusion
The “Bitcoin Core 28.0 cannot be verified” error message is often caused by data file generation issues during the verification process. By trying alternative approaches and exploring custom solutions, you can resolve this frustrating issue and ensure reliable verification of your Bitcoin Core wallet.