I have created a paper wallet and I've used that address to receive my mining pool coins.
I am also using the windows-qt wallet. I entered the address generated by the paper wallet and everything seems good.
All my mining coins appear on the wallet-qt program.
I have also encrypted my wallet with a passphrase.
My question is, what if my windows get corrupted and i need to do a clean install and i did not back up my wallet.dat file.
However, the paper wallet (the address and private key) is safe as I backed up in a usb drive.
What happens to my coins then?
Will I still get the coins once I install the windows-qt program and just enter the same public address?
thank you.
Just keep wallet.dat file safe from the Qt wallet. That is all you will need to get your coins back.
Also for double security, I would recommend to print your private key and keep it in a safe place.