In this video, I describe how to run the Start9 operating system inside your existing computer or laptop absolutely free, while still being able to use your computer for your normal everyday activities.
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I already have the Bitcoin knots on a external hard drive, do I need to download it again for start9 or is there a way to use it?
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There is technically a way, but unfortunately it is not simple. I’ll add this to me queue of videos to do in the future. It kind of falls into the category of backing up/ restoring the blockchain without needing to repeat the IBD (a bit more challenging of a prospect than simply upgrading from Core to Knots). If you are comfortable around a terminal, I can break down the process here if you like.
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thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately I’m not tech savvy but let me search around and see what I can find on my own steam. Cheers
Hey Paul, me again… My node synched with the blockchain in less than 24 hours. I didn’t expect that. Maybe I got lucky with my hardware selection. I set up the virtual box with 4 cpu’s out of 8 and allowed it to dynamically occupy up to the full 2TB of my Crucial X9 SSD. The Mini CP I chose was the GEEKOM Air12 (not Lite model) with the Intel N150 low power CPU. I tested each of the USB ports connected to my Crucial SSD with Crystal DiskCheck and found the front USB C (Data Only) was by far the fastest. If anyone could benefit from my newbie experience, send them over and I’ll be glad to help them get up and running Knots. Lastly, since I want to run my node without a keyboard and monitor, I decided to use Chrome Remote Desktop since I’m a Google/Android/Chromebook fan and it works great so far, even on my Samsung Android phone.
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Yes, there are a lot of factors that go into how long the IBD takes (available RAM, file I/O speeds, network speeds, number and quality of connected peers, etc). For reasonable hardware, I usually tell folks to expect it to take about a day (and for low-end hardware with low RAM, a few days to a week or so). Glad it worked out well for you!
Paul, what is the best way to contact you? I doubt this thread is the way to do it. Thanks.
If it is a problem related to this topic which others would benefit from, feel free to post the details here or start a separate thread. To talk to me directly (for setting up a virtual meeting, sharing sensitive logs, etc) feel free to use the chat feature to DM me.
See my chat. I moved my comments to there.
Hi All - I’m new here and hoping someone can help! First of all, Thank You Paul for creating this workaround for installing Start9 via a Virtual Machine - A brilliant idea that should absolutely get many more Bitcoiners running a (Bitcoin Knots) node. I will definitely share the video to my socials once I get it working!
That said, I do have a question - I made it all the way through installation to checking the node on bitnodes and it’s telling me that it is unreachable. I copied the Tor address, got rid of the
'https://" prefix and just pasted the number portion as directed.
Any advice on how to fix or what to try next is welcome and appreciated.
Thanks 
A couple of things to check:
- Make sure Knots is running
- Make sure you get the Tor address from Services > Bitcoin Knots > Interfaces > Peer Interface (not the RPC Interface or ZeroMQ Interface, and not Tor Quick Connect from Properties either)
- Make sure you kept everything after the https:// including the ending “.onion”
- Make sure there are no leading or trainling spaces in the fields on bitnodes.io before clicking Check Node
- Make sure the port field contains: 8333
If none of these resolve the issue, then try stopping Bitcoin Knots, and when it is fully shut down then restart StartOS via System > Power > Restart. Once fully back up and running, then start Bitcoin Knots again and see if that fixed it.
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