Hello everyone. I decided to write a good guide with pictures on the topic "How to install and set up Idena" in a very simple way. All you have to do is follow this guide step by step and everything will be good. My goal is to make this guide very brief and simple. Good luck!
1. Open Idena download page and download the client for Windows on this link.
2. Now you find the file downloaded.
3. Execute the file and install Idena. The client is going to install itself, and Idena icon is going to appear on your Desktop. Start it.
4. When you start it, the client is gonna launch itself and it will say that it is OFFLINE, and it should look like this:
5. In a few moments the client will auto-download the node, and OFFLINE status should change to Synchronizing (orange):
6. Double check that your client is running with Synchronized status in the left upper corner, that your Idena adress is showing in the middle, and that blocks are synchronizing:
7. Grab a cup of coffee and relax. The process of synchronization can last for a few hours, but it will possibly be over even sooner than that. It depends on how many peers your node has connected to and your (and their) download and upload speed. This is a normal process during which the client is going to download Idena blockchain on your computer. No worries.
8. When it's done, your client will change status from Synchronizing to Synchronized (green):
9. Now you are all set for obtaining an invitation from another network member. Visit this link on Telegram. Telegram is a free messenger app, the same as Viber or Whatsapp. Join the group, and politely ask for an invitation code which you will enter in your client. Do say that you have completed this guide and your client is ready and synchronized.
10. When you enter invitation, your status will change to Candidate. All you have to do is wait for the next validation.
11. You should backup your private key. Private key is a long string of characters which is unique to your Idena wallet address. Open My Computer (or This PC on Windows 10) and in the search bar enter this - %appdata%
12. Now navigate to Idena\node\datadir\keystore
13. Backup the file "nodekey" somewhere safe. This file contains your private key, and if you happen to mess up the wallet somehow, you can always restore your coins and identity by copying this file to the same location.
14. Another way to backup your private key is to open Idena wallet and navigate to Settings as shown:
15. In the Export Private Key section, you enter a password (be sure to remember it!) and the wallet will give you a long string to copy and store somewhere safe. This is your private key - but encrypted.
You are set! You have created your wallet and made backup of your private keys. Good luck!
My Idena address is:
0xfdaef07f6fab32639613e68e04d96ba0a026db58
