Why You Should Use A Computer Specifically Meant For Bitcoin Transactions And How To Do It

Making definite your bitcoin transactions stay backstage is made importantly easier with a machine dedicated to this relation alone.

This is an sentiment editorial by Arman The Parman, a Bitcoin pedagogue passionate astir privateness and contributor to Bitcoin Magazine.

What’s Wrong With Using A Regular Computer?

When making bitcoin transactions, it’s perfect if your machine has nary malware. Obviously.

If you support your Bitcoin effect operation (usually 12 oregon 24 words) disconnected the machine with a signing instrumentality (e.g., a hardware wallet — its main purpose), past you mightiness deliberation it’s not that important to person a “clean” machine — not true.

A malware-infected machine whitethorn work your Bitcoin addresses, exposing your equilibrium to an attacker. They can’t instrumentality bitcoin conscionable from knowing the address, but they tin spot however overmuch you person and cipher from that if you are a worthy target. They whitethorn besides someway enactment retired wherever you live, for example, and endanger you to get you to wage a ransom.

What Is The Solution?

I promote astir Bitcoiners to usage a dedicated malware-free machine (with net access) for making Bitcoin transactions. I suggest radical usage an open-source operating strategy similar Linux Mint, but usage Windows oregon Mac if you indispensable — that’s amended than utilizing a regular, well-used machine that invariably has malware hidden successful it.

One obstacle that radical travel crossed is installing a caller operating strategy connected specified computers. This usher is to assistance with that.

There are galore varieties of Linux and I person tried several. My proposal for Bitcoiners is Linux Mint, due to the fact that it is casual to install, precise accelerated (particularly connected bootup and shutdown), not bloated (every other portion of bundle is simply a risk), and has seldom crashed connected maine oregon behaved weirdly (compared to different versions similar Ubuntu and Debian).

Some whitethorn beryllium precise resistant to a caller operating system, preferring Windows oregon Mac OS. I understand, but the Windows and Apple operating systems are closed source, truthful we person to spot what they’re doing; I don’t deliberation that’s a bully policy, but it’s not each oregon nothing. I’d overmuch similar radical usage a dedicated, freshly installed Windows oregon Mac OS machine alternatively than a well-used machine (with who knows what malware has accumulated connected it). One measurement amended is to usage a freshly installed Linux computer.

If you’re tense astir utilizing Linux due to the fact that of the unknown, that’s natural, but truthful is spending immoderate clip learning. So overmuch accusation is disposable online. Here is an fantabulous abbreviated video introducing the basics of the bid line that I highly recommend.

Choose A Computer

I’ll commencement with what I deliberation is the champion option. Then, I’ll springiness my sentiment connected alternatives.

Ideal Option

My recommendation, if you tin spend it, and if the size of your bitcoin stack justifies it, is to get a brand-new, entry-level laptop. The astir basal exemplary built these days is bully capable to grip what it’s going to beryllium utilized for. The processor and RAM specs are not relevant, due to the fact that they volition each beryllium bully enough.

Avoid

• Any tablet combo, including Surface Pro.
• Chromebooks, often the retention capableness is excessively low.
• Macs, they are expensive, and the hardware doesn’t gel good with Linux operating systems successful my experience.
• Anything refurbished oregon secondhand (not an implicit woody breaker though).

Instead, look for a Windows 11 laptop (currently, Windows 11 is the latest release. We’ll beryllium getting escaped of that software, don’t worry.). I searched connected Amazon.com for “Windows 11 Laptop” and recovered this bully example:

The terms of this 1 supra is good. The specs are bully enough. It has a built-in camera which we tin usage for QR codification PSBT transactions (otherwise you’d person to bargain a USB camera to bash that). Don’t interest astir the information that it’s not a well-recognized marque (it’s cheap). If you privation a amended brand, it’ll outgo you, for example:

Some of the cheaper ones person lone 64GB of thrust space. I haven’t tested laptops with drives that small; it is astir apt OK to person 64GB, but it might beryllium pushing it.

Other Options — Tails

Tails is an operating strategy that boots from a USB thumb thrust and temporarily takes implicit the hardware of immoderate computer. It uses Tor connections only, truthful you’d request to beryllium comfy utilizing Tor. None of the information that you constitute to representation during your league is saved to the thrust (it starts caller each time), unless you tweak the settings and make a imperishable retention enactment (on the USB thumb drive), which you fastener with a password.

It’s not a atrocious enactment and it’s free, but it’s a small clunky for our purposes. Installing caller bundle connected it is not a breeze. One bully diagnostic is that it comes with Electrum, but the downside of this is that you didn’t instal it yourself. Make definite the USB thrust you usage is astatine slightest 8GB.

Your flexibility is reduced if you usage Tails. You whitethorn not beryllium capable to travel assorted guides to acceptable up what you request and get it moving properly. For example, if you travel my usher to installing Bitcoin Core, determination are modifications needed to marque it work. I don’t deliberation I’ll beryllium making a Tails circumstantial guide, truthful you’d request to physique your skills and bash it alone.

I besides americium not definite however good hardware wallets volition interact with this OS.

Having said each this, a Tails machine for bitcoin transactions is simply a bully additional option, and it volition surely assistance your wide privateness skills to larn to usage Tails.

Other Options — Live OS Boot

This is precise akin to Tails, but the operating strategy is not privateness dedicated. The basal mode to usage this is to flash a USB thrust with the Linux operating strategy of your prime and marque the machine footwear from that alternatively of the interior drive. How to bash this is explained later.

The vantage is that you are little restricted and things volition enactment without precocious tweaks.

I americium not definite however good specified a strategy isolates malware connected the existing machine from the USB footwear thrust you usage that holds the caller operating system. It astir apt does a good occupation and is astir apt not arsenic bully arsenic Tails, but my penchant is the dedicated laptop.

Other Options — Your Own Used Laptop Or Desktop Computer

Using a utilized machine is not ideal, chiefly due to the fact that I americium unaware of the interior workings of blase malware, nor if wiping a thrust is capable to get escaped of it. It astir apt is but I don’t privation to underestimate however clever nefarious hackers tin be. You tin decide; I don’t privation to perpetrate to this option.

If you take to usage an aged desktop alternatively of an aged laptop, this volition beryllium fine, but that it volition permanently instrumentality up abstraction for your astir apt uncommon bitcoin transactions; you shouldn’t beryllium utilizing it for thing else. Whereas with a laptop, you tin conscionable enactment it distant and adjacent fell it for other security.

Installing Linux Mint On Any Computer

These are instructions to hitch immoderate operating strategy from your caller laptop and instal Linux Mint, but you tin accommodate it to instal conscionable astir immoderate Linux mentation connected conscionable astir immoderate computer.

We are going to usage immoderate machine to flash the operating strategy to a representation instrumentality of immoderate sort. It doesn’t substance which representation stick, arsenic agelong arsenic it is compatible with a USB port, and I suggest 16GB minimum.

Get 1 of these things:

Or you tin usage thing similar this:

Next, navigate to LinuxMint.com.

Hover the rodent implicit the “Download” paper astatine the apical and past click the link, “Linux Mint 20.3,” oregon immoderate mentation is the latest recommended 1 astatine the clip you bash this.

There volition beryllium a fewer “flavors” to take from. Go with “Cinnamon” to travel on with this guide. Click the “Download” button.

On the adjacent page, you tin scroll down to spot the mirrors (various servers that clasp a transcript of the record we want). You tin verify the download utilizing SHA 256 and gpg (recommended), but I’m going to skip explaining that present arsenic I person written guides connected this already.

Choose a reflector that’s closest to you and click its nexus (the greenish substance successful the reflector column). The record volition statesman downloading; the mentation I’m downloading is 2.1GB.

Once it’s downloaded, you tin flash the record to a portable representation instrumentality and marque it bootable. To bash this, the easiest mode is to usage balenaEtcher. Download and instal it if you don’t person it.

Then, tally it:

Click “Flash from file” and prime the Linux Mint record you downloaded.

Then click “Select target.” Make definite the representation instrumentality is plugged successful and marque definite you are selecting the close drive, different you whitethorn destruct the contents of the incorrect drive!

After that, prime “Flash!” You whitethorn request to participate your password. When it’s completed, the thrust is apt not going to beryllium readable by your Windows oregon Mac computer, due to the fact that it has been transformed into a Linux device. Just propulsion it out.

Preparing The Target Computer

Turn connected the caller laptop, and portion it is powering up, clasp down the BIOS key. This is typically F2, but it could beryllium F1, F8, F10, F11, F12 oregon Delete. Try each 1 until you get it, oregon hunt the net for your computer’s exemplary and inquire the close question, similar “BIOS cardinal Dell laptops.”

Every machine volition person a antithetic BIOS menu. Explore and find which paper allows you to configure the footwear order. For our purposes, we privation the machine to effort to footwear from a USB connected instrumentality (if determination is 1 connected), earlier trying to footwear from the interior hard thrust (otherwise Windows volition load). Once you acceptable that, you whitethorn request to prevention earlier exiting oregon it whitethorn prevention automatically.

Reboot the machine and it should load from the USB representation device. We tin present instal Linux connected the interior thrust and Windows volition beryllium removed for good.

When you get to the pursuing screen, prime “OEM instal (for manufacturers).” If you alternatively take “Start Linux Mint,” you’ll get a Linux Mint league loaded disconnected the USB representation device, but erstwhile you unopen down the computer, nary of your accusation is saved. It’s fundamentally a impermanent league truthful you tin effort it out.

You volition beryllium taken done a graphical wizard which volition inquire you a fig of questions that should beryllium straightforward. One volition beryllium connection settings, different volition beryllium your location net web transportation and password. If prompted to instal further software, cull it. When you get to the question astir the installation type, immoderate radical whitethorn hesitate: You request to take “Erase disk and instal Linux Mint.” Also, bash not encrypt the thrust and bash not prime LVM.

You volition yet get to the desktop. At this point, you are not rather finished. You are really acting arsenic the shaper (i.e., idiosyncratic gathering a machine and mounting up Linux for the customer). You request to treble click the desktop icon and click “Install Linux Mint” to finalize it.

Remember to region the representation instrumentality and past reboot. After reboot, you’ll beryllium utilizing the Linux operating strategy for the archetypal clip arsenic a caller user. Congratulations!

One of the archetypal things to bash (and to bash regularly) is to support the strategy up to date.

Open the Terminal application, and benignant the following: sudo apt-get update

Hit <enter>, corroborate your prime and past participate this command: sudo apt-get upgrade

Hit <enter> and corroborate your choice.

Let it bash its thing, it could instrumentality respective minutes.

Next, I similar to instal Tor: sudo apt-get instal Tor

Conclusion

This usher explained wherefore you whitethorn request a dedicated machine for bitcoin transactions, and however to instal a caller Linux Mint operating strategy connected it.

You tin present instal the bitcoin wallet of your prime and usage this machine lone for bitcoin transactions. These are the lone 2 wallets I mostly recommend:

Electrum Desktop Wallet is for the precocious idiosyncratic oregon those who privation to go advanced. It is peculiarly important if you privation to travel my air-gapped machine system utilizing the Raspberry Pi Zero option.

Sparrow Bitcoin Wallet is an fantabulous wallet that has a precise beauteous and intuitive design.

Happy Bitcoining.

This is simply a impermanent station by Arman The Parman. Opinions expressed are wholly their ain and bash not needfully bespeak those of BTC Inc oregon Bitcoin Magazine.