<p>If I understand correctly, you not only do not know your private key anymore (and probably never knew), you also do not even know the BTC address where your Bitcoins are?</p>

<p>I'm afraid I have to say that under these circumstances it is as if you never had any Bitcoins. I lost some exactly this way as you describe and actually also had purchased them in 2011.</p>

<p>No chance. Best thing you can do is to forget about them and not to burden your mind with the loss.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-23T06:40:09.087Z
2017-05-23T06:40:09.087Z
Perlator
<p>Get access to the computer and run a disk scanner utility over the hard drive to see if there are any recoverable files. If there are there's a small possibility the wallet.dat or something similar is still there? Otherwise find the piece of paper. I recall doing something similar using OS forensics. There is anecdotal evidence that data must be overwritten 20 times in order for the data to be completely gone - you'd probably need some high end computer skills to recover the data in that instance though.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-23T08:19:15.837Z
He says he sold the computer.
abelenky
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-24T09:28:20.113Z
Thanks - we've found the PC - its been untouched since I sold it to a mate back in 2012.  Will try and find a Wallet.DAT file
David Senior
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-23T08:18:17.183Z
2017-05-23T08:18:17.183Z
Rob Evans
<p>I purchased some bitcoins in 2011 from Dialcoin  - I have an email I sent to them asking where the coins I purchased went (very naive at the time) - I've since sold the PC (which was also mining) to a friend (back in 2012)</p>

<p>Is there any way I can find the coins ?</p>

<p>I cannot remember the wallet I was using + had a piece of paper which I think I threw away a the time.</p>

<p>Please help.
David.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-23T08:02:56.533Z
What usable info do you actually have?  Nothing?
abelenky
<lost-bitcoins><lost-wallet>
Lost Bitcoins purchased in 2011
David Senior
# Lost Bitcoins purchased in 2011

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-23)

I purchased some bitcoins in 2011 from Dialcoin - I have an email I sent to them asking where the coins I purchased went (very naive at the time) - I've since sold the PC (which was also mining) to a friend (back in 2012)

Is there any way I can find the coins ?

I cannot remember the wallet I was using + had a piece of paper which I think I threw away a the time.

Please help.
David.

**Tags:** lost-bitcoins, lost-wallet

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What usable info do you actually have?  Nothing?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-05-23. Score: 2

If I understand correctly, you not only do not know your private key anymore (and probably never knew), you also do not even know the BTC address where your Bitcoins are?

I'm afraid I have to say that under these circumstances it is as if you never had any Bitcoins. I lost some exactly this way as you describe and actually also had purchased them in 2011.

No chance. Best thing you can do is to forget about them and not to burden your mind with the loss.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2017-05-23. Score: -2

Get access to the computer and run a disk scanner utility over the hard drive to see if there are any recoverable files. If there are there's a small possibility the wallet.dat or something similar is still there? Otherwise find the piece of paper. I recall doing something similar using OS forensics. There is anecdotal evidence that data must be overwritten 20 times in order for the data to be completely gone - you'd probably need some high end computer skills to recover the data in that instance though.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: He says he sold the computer.  
> **username_0**: Thanks - we've found the PC - its been untouched since I sold it to a mate back in 2012.  Will try and find a Wallet.DAT file  

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