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Corrupted blockchain / resync

Symptom examples:

  • “blockchain data file is corrupted”
  • “incorrect blockchain”
  • Core starts, then errors out while loading blocks

Why this happens

Admins repeatedly pointed to three practical causes:

  • The wallet/computer was shut down while Core was writing chain data (power outage, forced shutdown).24
  • Storage issues (bad sectors / failing disk).32
  • Mixing old v3 data with v4 (v4 chain state is not compatible with the previous version).1

Safe-default recovery (v4)

This is the most commonly shared recovery sequence:

  1. Backup wallet.dat (and wallets/ if present).
  2. Close Core.
  3. In the data directory, delete:
  4. blocks/
  5. chainstate/
  6. indexes/
  7. peers.dat
  8. Reopen Core and let it sync fully.

This full procedure (including OS data directory defaults) was posted as a single runbook by admins.1

Disk health reminder

If corruption repeats, consider running a disk health test (vendor utilities), and keep offline backups of wallet.dat on external media.2

Footnotes

  1. Telegram export (ReddCoinOfficial), 2025-11-24, obito, message2035575. Note: ReddCoin Core wallet is not down. Either you have the old version v3 or the blockchain in the wallet is on the incorrect blockchain. Also it's normal for the "blockchain… Permalink: https://t.me/ReddcoinOfficial/2035575. ↩↩

  2. Telegram export (ReddCoinOfficial), 2025-05-12, obito, message2023494. Note: Usually the blockchain gets corrupted when you shut down your computer before the wallet closes, or during a power outage, or if your hard drive has bad sectors. Every h… Permalink: https://t.me/ReddcoinOfficial/2023494. ↩↩↩

  3. Telegram export (ReddCoinOfficial), 2025-03-26, unknown, message2019636. Note: Sometimes it happens that the hard drive has bad sectors that corrupts the blockchain. Permalink: https://t.me/ReddcoinOfficial/2019636. ↩

  4. Telegram export (ReddCoinOfficial), 2025-03-26, unknown, message2019637. Note: Also if the computer shutdown while the wallet is open, can cause the corruption of the blockchain Permalink: https://t.me/ReddcoinOfficial/2019637. ↩