<img src="https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/alex-rourke/23yTfJzeWXRS5bkHF2sCcCZeHYcJmWujtyzc2mnBJA5xvFES9CzzbXneQpusCFoSZR9vx.jpg" alt="$1">

You might have read some of my blog posts on the importance of keeping your private keys safe.   I wrote a detailed explanation of what they are here: [understanding Hive keys](https://peakd.com/hive-114929/@alex-rourke/understanding-hive-keys).    One of my main recommendations is to keep your keys <u>off your computer</u>.

> _How to keep your HIVE keys safe
As you might have seen in another video I made on how to use Trust Wallet, I'm a firm believer that you should not keep your keys stored on your computer. As soon as you receive your keys, you should make two copies:
One digital copy on a cold device (one that is not connected to the internet). I use a text file on a simple USB stick like this one and keep it in a fire-proof safe.
Another copy should be in a different location, ideally in a non-digital format like good old pen and paper._

Here is my first copy:

https://images.hive.blog/0x0/https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/alex-rourke/EoEsXRxH836C1q8q4JbSYLcyxSge7Yt1B5VxadownAKcDoiSRo3RPGMcLKvjH9NVypq.jpeg

As recommended, they are not stored on any device, only nice and protected inside a fire-proof safe.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

Wrong.

My USB stick is still with me, but became severely corrupted and unable to mount on any computer.


The second problem is I didn't write down the second copy in good ol' low tech pen & paper because I was going to to it later when I found a typewriter to type my keys and passwords to avoid mistakes 😔.

Thanks Murphy.

I tried repairing via Terminal using `diskutil repairVolume /dev/disk6s2`
I tried mounting in read-only mode using `sudo mkdir -p /Volumes/mount
sudo mount -t hfs -o rdonly /dev/disk6s2 /Volumes/mount`

I eventually got a _invalid B-tree node size_ error which menas that the core filesystem structure (the catalog B-tree, which stores file/folder records) is corrupted in a way that `fsck_hfs` cannot fix. This is why the system won’t mount it — even read-only.

So I then tried PhotoRec to scan the raw partition for files.  

This was awesome, because I felt like a hacker, lol (j/k) and also gave me a bit of hope as it _did_ recover some of my files on the drive.  Unfortunately, they were not the text files I was looking for.


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I haven't given up hope on recovering my keys as there is this piece of software called Disk Drill that has already identified the text files I am looking for.

The only problem is I have to buy the paid version of the software that costs $100 that I don't want to spend right now.
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![Disk Drill guy.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/alex-rourke/AK3gscyM9Vv1JnXKzrshFUzadXmVzAHwpugvPo2X2CHeVVi3y1mWba1vu138nZR.png)
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So, where am I at?

I still have all my keys for this account, so there's no problem there, but I don't have the master password for my business accounts: 

@recording-box 
@yellowcherry 
@hivefunded

So I wouldn't be able to change my keys.  I do have them set to a recovery account, so I could recover them if they ever become compromised, but I think I'm going to move my funds out of those wallets and into new wallet instead.
I still have the keys in @keychain on several devices, so I will still be able to post from them and export them to new devices, but I won't hold funds there for security reasons.

I've also written down my keys in a small notebook which I keep in my fire-proof safe that is bolted to the ground.  


<img src="https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/alex-rourke/23tknGgnP5Pw493Np5Av9rQs87y18Dj8UbhtZajFoa2csSgVqLpRK8oXe8NdbConkyZEx.png" alt="$1">


I guess you can say I've learned my lesson in self-custody.