Quote from: Pmalek on Today at 09:18:32 AM

If you don't want to download the entire blockchain you should be able to export the private keys of the addresses where you are keeping your coins without having to wait for the wallet to sync.
You do that from the console window by using the dumpprivkey command.

Take a look at this guide for reference:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Transferring_coins_from_Bitcoin-Qt_to_Electrum

I don't know the address or anything, I just have the .dat file itself from a backup (all the other info was lost) and the passphrase.
I'm willing to download the full blockchain again, that's not the issue, but I was wondering why there's no good info out there to really restore an old wallet file.

So if I have 2011.dat for example, and rename it to wallet.dat and place it in the bitcoin folder where the new wallet is then restart bt core then it should work?
I heard older wallet files were incompatible since 2012 or something.

PS: before anyone asks, no, there's not a fortune on there probably, I just want to make sure the balances were emptied, as I can't remember what I did with it back during these days. I didn't take bitcoin too seriously in the beginning (my bad).