CUSDT
C / Tether USD
crypto

As someone active back then, just figured I'd throw some comments your way:
>At some point in 2009-2012[...]
It's definitely worth looking into. Worst-case, you mined for a couple days on CPU when it wasn't worth it in 2012, and probably have at least 0.1 BTC. Best-case, you have hundreds. Most likely cast, you heard about it during the mid-2011 bubble when all the gamers were going ga-ga for the very first GPU mining softwares and maybe have 10-30.
>I don't have access to the email address I used in those years
Any exchanges or mining pools you may have signed up for are probably dead and gone anyway. If you have any, it's in the wallet.dat file of the software called bitcoin core (back then just called bitcoin).
>ChatGPT tells me this likely isn't an issue as emails weren't used for sign up in the early days.
They still aren't, unless you are using an exchange or mining pool. Bitcoin is decentralized and randomly generated. Therefore has nothing to do with platforms like email that would require dependence.
>More advice was to remove the hard drive and back it up on a second hard drive, before opening.
That's a tossup, right. You only care about one file. If you hammer the drive running a full backup, maybe the drive fails and you kick yourself. Just get in and get what you need and get out.
Wallet.dat would be located in C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin. If it's not there, google around to see if there used to be another default location, like AppData\Local or somewhere in my Documents. Past that, do a seach for wallet.dat.
It's the only file you need. You will download the modern [Bitcoin Core](https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-core/) and place your wallet.dat file in %appdata%\Roaming\Bitcoin.
If you were smart, you put a password on it. The Core software will ask you for said password when you try to move the funds or export the private keys.
From here, you have two options. You can either let the whole chain sync, then use that software to send your coin to an exchange (to sell) or modern wallet (to hodl). Hardware wallets (eg. coldcard) are recommended to those who aren't tech savvy, to help avoid user error, especially for large amounts. A phone wallet is normally good enough though if you keep your shit safe. Apps are sandboxed on mobile so if you already keep your phone private... anyway.
The second option is just going through steps to export the private keys and import them to a new wallet. This is more involved but you can skip waiting for chain sync this way.
>Can I plug hard drive into my mac to transfer to a second hard drive?
So you just wanna search for that one file wallet.dat. You just need a $20 SATA to USB for your hdd or maybe it will be called "SATA usb dock" or something. But you just plug it in over usb and mount the NTFS. In Windows, it "blocks" access by default to user folder but you can just hit "continue anyway" unless you encrypted the drive. My assumption is Mac will act like Linux and just ignore that check and access your files.
>What if the hard drive was wiped? Would it be in any way possible to recover it?
Yes. The most important thing to do is avoid writing anything to the drive. There lots of simple softwares that can recover non-overwritten files but you will have to do a lot of sifting.
>the password? I believe it was a long set of random numbers and letters so will never remember unless I also have it saved on the computer somewhere.
That's not your password. Any password, you personally would have made up. What you are talking about could either be the private or public keys. If you wrote the private keys on a piece of paper, you have all you need to recover the funds without the wallet.dat (barring any "change" addresses, which would only have been an issue if you did transactions out of the wallet).
Ignore anyone in the replies who mentions "seed phrase" or "12 words" or "24 words" or "BIP39." That shit didn't exist back then.

The FTX theft of customers' funds would have been legal in the USA under the regulations in 2022, and under the regulations in 2026. Those regulations don't require the segregation of customer funds. FTX published a T&C which claimed they did not divert customer funds. One fraud charge was proved because Bankman-Fried and co-accused breached this T&C clause. Another fraud charge was based on FTX public announcements that they had an insurance fund backing customers' funds. They published a calculation of the amount which should be in such a fund. The fund never existed
New York State has stricter regulation than most American States. In this regulation, crypto exchanges are required to segregate funds held on deposit. Conveniently, this only includes vault-type services. It does not include the ordinary trader's exchange account. Not as strict as it might seem
Segregation of funds can be mandated in law, but can never be enforced. After the FTX bankruptcy, several exchanges rushed to pay a proof-of-reserves service to analyze their wallets and publish a proof. After publishing a few of these, several people reviewed the Binance proof of reserves and found errors. The service company shut down their proof of reserve service. The SEC published a detailed warning a few months later warning that no crypto exchange's proof of reserves claims can be trusted (This warning has been deleted from the SEC Web site, thanks to the current American regime's censorship policies)
Why does any of this matter? Day after day, while FTX was still solvent, there were dozens of people constantly warning crypto users - not your keys, not your coins. The real reason for FTX customers losing money is that they didn't withdraw their coins to their own wallets
If your Bitcoin is in your wallet, you're not affected by the failure of your exchange

Here’s a clear breakdown of how to convert SRP (Starpad) to USD and the best platforms to do it, based on price data and typical user experience:
**1. How the SRP → USD Conversion Works**
SRP (Starpad) has a very small per‑token price — currently roughly $0.00014 – $0.00016 USD per 1 SRP depending on real‑time market data.
Example conversions:
|SRP|Approx USD|
|:-|:-|
|1 SRP|≈ $0.00014 – $0.00016|
|1,000 SRP|≈ $0.14 – $0.16|
|10,000 SRP|≈ $1.4 – $1.6|
Because SRP seldom has direct USD trading pairs, most conversions happen indirectly:
SRP → stablecoin (like USDT/USDC) → USD
This is the practical conversion path on exchanges.
**2. Step‑by‑Step Conversion Process**
A. Deposit Your SRP
Send your SRP tokens from your wallet to the exchange wallet.
Make sure to use the correct blockchain network (typically BEP‑20 for SRP if supported).
**B. Sell SRP for a Stablecoin**
Because there’s often no direct SRP / USD market:
1. Sell SRP for USDT or USDC on the exchange
2. Then convert the stablecoin to USD (either on‑chain or on the same exchange)
**C. Withdraw USD**
On exchanges that support fiat off‑ramps (bank transfer, wire, P2P), you can then:
* Withdraw USD to your bank account
* Or use P2P methods to receive local currency equivalent
**3. Best Platforms to Convert SRP to USD**
|Platform|What It’s Best For|
|:-|:-|
|Bitget|Great for smaller tokens like SRP with decent liquidity + integrated USD withdrawal options via bank or P2P.|
|Binance|Very high liquidity and generally low fees + good stablecoin markets — often best pricing if SRP is supported.|
|OKX|Another solid exchange with good stablecoin markets and fiat options.|
|Coinbase|Excellent fiat on‑ramp/off‑ramp infrastructure, but SRP may need to be converted to USDT/USDC first.|
|DEX (like PancakeSwap)|Useful only if SRP isn’t listed on CEX — but requires extra steps (swap → transfer to CEX for USD withdrawal).|
**Quick Notes**
* Centralized exchanges (CEX) typically offer the easiest path from SRP → USD because you can handle trading and withdrawal in one place.
* Decentralized exchanges (DEX) are useful only if the token isn’t listed anywhere; but you’ll still need to bridge to CEX for fiat withdrawal.
**4. Tips to Maximize Value**
✅Check liquidity first — SRP is a small‑cap token, and low liquidity can lead to price slippage when selling.
✅ Use limit orders instead of market orders to avoid unfavorable fills.
✅ Compare fees (trading + withdrawal) across exchanges before final conversion.
**Summary**
To convert SRP to USD:
1. Deposit SRP to an exchange that supports it
2. Trade SRP for USDT/USDC
3. Convert that stablecoin into USD
4. Withdraw USD via bank transfer or P2P
Best platforms are generally Bitget (good small‑token support and USD off‑ramp), Binance (liquidity + low fees), and OKX/Coinbase depending on your region and withdrawal needs. 

Well, if you don't run your own node, you have to trust someone else, who does.
We do trust banks to hold our fiat, so we are quite used to that. But with bitcoin, we don't have to trust anyone. (Except the software developers, if you are not able to read C++ and compile the node software yourself).

To my knowledge and for nearly half of my life, most gambling outside of AC and Nevada was considered Illegal gambling. Particularly sports books.
The "Big Two" (NJ&NV) for casino gambling have been established the longest, but most states have only joined the fold in the last few decades through lotteries or tribal gaming.
Nevada (95 Years): Re-legalized in 1931 during the Great Depression to boost the economy. It remained the only state with legal casinos for nearly 50 years.
**New Jersey (48 Years): Legalized casinos in Atlantic City in 1976, with the first one opening in 1978.
The Lottery Boom (1964–Present): After New Hampshire broke the ice in 1964, a massive wave followed. By 1975, 10 more states had lotteries; today, 45 states (plus D.C.) operate them.
Tribal Gaming (1988–Present): The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 opened the door for tribal casinos, which now operate in approximately 29 states.
**Sports Betting (2018–Present): Since the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban in 2018, 38 states (and D.C.) have legalized some form of sports wagering.
Before Internet gambling and State lotteries, etc. made it mostly "Nationally" legal in the 2000's there were many illegal sports books, bookies, loan sharks and "non-regulated" gambling (not taxed) and some even still exist, mostly in urban areas, numbers rackets and other "off-book" gambling "establishments". Most of them were rooted out with the both of the RICO Act.

Ideally you want to avoid HDD although Bitcoin will sync on one unlike many altcoins. So a regular SSD is fine to store the database , but the danger comes if the hard drive is external to the computer. Many problems in external hard drive control boards firmware and hardware cause poor I/O performance that can cause issues. Thus ideally its connected directly with a sata cable/port and not with USB , if not than make sure its at least USB C 3.1 connection to the external hard drive to reduce the chance of problems but even this is riskier than running an internal hard drive
You can specify the data directory on the second hard drive easily instead of the primary hard drive

Im sure you can tell us where did you get that info ?
Option A: popped out of your butt
Option B: saw it written on the stars
Option C: Lame youtube influencer
Option D: Trust me bro
Please select the right option so everyone (incluiding you) can make haste and open a confortable short position and all be rich thanks to your insight.

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