If you’re interested in Bitcoins, you’ll need a wallet. As the name suggests, with a wallet you can hold coins, receive and make payments.
Installing the Electrum wallet couldn’t be easier. I’ve been using this one recently and I like it. Everything you need is on the Electrum.org website. I’m writing this to help my wife who’s interested in selling some of her Scarlet Spindle items on Bitmit.net.
STEP 1: Visit the Electrum.org website.
STEP 2: Download the wallet application from the download section.
NOTE: I downloaded the windows installer for version 1.7.2.
STEP 3: Double-click on the downloaded file and follow the installation prompts.
STEP 4: Launch your wallet from the start menu. You’ll see a new program in there called Electrum.
STEP 5: Create a wallet file when prompted. Just click on the “Create” button.
STEP 6: Next, you need to choose a server. Select the server of your choice from the list provided.
STEP 7: Save/write down your wallet seed when prompted.
STEP 8: Create a password.
STEP 9: That’s it. The installation is complete.
Test Your Wallet
If you look under the receive tab, you’ll see addresses you can use to receive coins. Give it a try. Click on an address and right-click on it and copy it to your clipboard. Go over to a Bitcoin faucet if you can find one that works, and follow the faucet website instructions.
A few things to keep in mind…
– If you’re unsure about your server selection, that is, the “node” you picked in step 6, there’s more documentation under the Electrum website’s documentation section. You can also read more about Electrum on the Bitcoin Talk Forum’s Electrum section.
– Support the node you’re using. There should be an address in the about section of your wallet where you can send a donation.
– There are other wallets out there. I’m not making a claim that this particular wallet is better or more secure. I wanted to see if I could write a set of instructions easy enough for anyone. The Electrum website provides everything you need. The install process is quite easy in of itself.
– This blog post is provided in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty or fitness for a particular purpose.
Good luck.
