<p>Close the client, go to C:\Users\(Your Username)\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin and delete everything in the folder <strong>except for wallet.dat - do not delete wallet.dat under any circumstances</strong> (and empty your Recycle Bin), then restart the client. Somehow your block index file became corrupted.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-17T09:50:06.633Z
@Masud It is often hidden. You could just try typing the Appdata after you home folder on the field on top of the explorer window
varesa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-27T23:23:59.817Z
Do not delete your wallet!
David Schwartz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-28T00:58:56.897Z
You can get a copy of the blockchain from http://eu1.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/
Chris Moore
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-28T18:07:14.650Z
telling people to delete their wallet is a ( very ) bad idea . . .
neofutur
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-28T22:06:19.803Z
@David and neofutur: I agree entirely, but the question stated, at least in the way I read it, that she had just installed it and never actually transferred Bitcoins, in which case deleting a wallet is irrelevant.
BinaryMage
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-30T16:39:25.647Z
@BinaryMage I agree that in the case of this one question it sounds like the user had an empty wallet, but in the interest of providing good advice to future readers of this question for whom the situation might be somewhat different, I've edited in a warning re:wallet.dat. Good answer, though!
David Perry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-31T03:19:06.980Z
@DavidPerry Good point, thanks for the edit.
BinaryMage
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-31T04:26:50.690Z
No problem! In some strange way it's almost like maintaining the quality of the site is my job... ;-)
David Perry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-06-15T19:34:37.247Z
We only need to delete blkindex.dat right? Why do we need to delete the other files?
Pacerier
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-27T22:47:32.670Z
2012-03-30T16:37:59.283Z
2012-03-30T16:37:59.283Z
BinaryMage
<p>I just had to delete blkindex.dat. It's a little painful since you have to re-download that ~2GB file, but it worked for me.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-12T08:20:25.273Z
2013-04-12T08:20:25.273Z
Littleman
<p>I have downloaded it onto my windows pc 3 separate times and each time it goes to start the program it shows the bitcoin wallet "loading addresses", then it's "loading block index" then my computer makes a noise and I receive this: <strong>error loading blkindex.dat</strong>. I click OK and it disappears with no options on how to fix. </p>

<p>I'm not very computer savvy. Please help. </p>

<client>
Bitcoin will not open instead I see: error loading blkindex.dat
Rachel
# Bitcoin will not open instead I see: error loading blkindex.dat

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-03-27)

I have downloaded it onto my windows pc 3 separate times and each time it goes to start the program it shows the bitcoin wallet "loading addresses", then it's "loading block index" then my computer makes a noise and I receive this: **error loading blkindex.dat**. I click OK and it disappears with no options on how to fix.

I'm not very computer savvy. Please help.

**Tags:** client


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-03-27. Score: 5

Close the client, go to C:\Users\(Your Username)\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin and delete everything in the folder **except for wallet.dat - do not delete wallet.dat under any circumstances** (and empty your Recycle Bin), then restart the client. Somehow your block index file became corrupted.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Do not delete your wallet!  
> **username_4**: You can get a copy of the blockchain from http://eu1.bitcoincharts.com/blockchain/  
> **username_5**: telling people to delete their wallet is a ( very ) bad idea . . .  
> **username_1**: @David and username_5: I agree entirely, but the question stated, at least in the way I read it, that she had just installed it and never actually transferred Bitcoins, in which case deleting a wallet is irrelevant.  
> **username_6**: @username_1 I agree that in the case of this one question it sounds like the user had an empty wallet, but in the interest of providing good advice to future readers of this question for whom the situation might be somewhat different, I've edited in a warning re:wallet.dat. Good answer, though!  
> **username_1**: @DavidPerry Good point, thanks for the edit.  
> **username_6**: No problem! In some strange way it's almost like maintaining the quality of the site is my job... ;-)  
> **username_7**: We only need to delete blkindex.dat right? Why do we need to delete the other files?  
> **username_2**: @Masud It is often hidden. You could just try typing the Appdata after you home folder on the field on top of the explorer window  

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### Answer by username_8 on 2013-04-12. Score: -1

I just had to delete blkindex.dat. It's a little painful since you have to re-download that ~2GB file, but it worked for me.


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