Ethereum: How to Reduce the Size of a Large Bitcoin Blocks Folder

As you may have noticed, the “blocks” folder in your Ethereum installation has grown to an impressive 17GB. This is not unexpected, as Bitcoin-QT v0.8.6-beta is a relatively large and complex wallet software.

To reduce the size of this large folder, we need to figure out what is taking up most of the space. Here are some steps to help you delete unnecessary files:

1. Check for unnecessary files in the “blocks” directory

Open a command prompt as administrator (right-click Start and select “Command Prompt (Admin)”) and navigate to the Ethereum installation directory:

cd C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin\blocks

Use the dir /s command to list all files in the folder, including subdirectories:

directory /s /b

This will show a detailed list of files and subfolders. Look for unnecessary or redundant files that you can safely delete.

2. Delete system files

The Ethereum operating system or software may create files as part of its installation process. They are usually harmless, but deleting them won’t hurt anything:

directory /s /b > SystemFiles.txt

This will create a text file called “SystemFiles.txt” in the same directory as your wallet folder.

3. Remove duplicate files

Bitcoin-QT creates multiple copies of its block database in different directories. Removing these duplicates can free up space:

directory /s /b > DuplicateBlocks.txt

This will create a text file called “DuplicateBlocks.txt” in the same directory as your wallet folder.

4. Remove unnecessary data from Ethereum

Ethereum uses a separate blockchain database for each Ethereum node. Deleting this database may help free up space:

from C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin\eth.json > EthereumDataRemoved.txt

This will create a text file called “EthereumDataRemoved.txt” in the same directory as your wallet folder.

5. Remove Unnecessary Software

If you have installed additional software that is affecting the large block folder, removing it may help:

• Open System Properties (Windows) or System Preferences (macOS) and look for software entries related to Bitcoin-QT.

• Remove any unnecessary software from these entries.

6. Consider upgrading to a newer version of Ethereum

If you are using an outdated version of Bitcoin-QT, consider upgrading to the latest version, v0.9.4-beta:

bitcoind --upgrade-eth qt 0.9.4-beta

This will upgrade your wallet and potentially reduce the size of your wallet.

If you follow these instructions, you should be able to reduce the size of your Ethereum installation’s large block folder. Be sure to back up your important files before making any changes, as some data may not be recoverable if deleted accidentally or intentionally.

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