MaxCoin - The beginning Guide How tos

You want to mine Maxcoins...

Mine Now!

but you...

* Have never mined a crypto coin?
* Are baffled by all the technical instructions - even those online guides supposedly for ‘dummies’?
* Barely competent Windows user?
* Are capable of left/right clicking, highlighting text, cutting and pasting?
* But not much more?
* Have no idea what the command line is?
* Completely foxed by Github and the baffling array of cpumining downloads there?
* Maybe not even sure what to do with a zipped file?
* Are wondering WTF this DOS is the geeks keep on about?
* Don’t even have a Maxcoin wallet or a crypto exchange account?

Then you have come to the right place. Welcome to

A Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Started Maxcoin Mining…

(See WTF??? section below for all technical terms marked as such, and converted into plain English - but not right now!)

My qualifications - well, I am the ‘complete idiot!

I managed to start mining on my home PC after several frustrating days of trying to fathom it all out after the launch of Maxcoin.

I claim no expertise, only some directly relevant, hard won experience that I hope may help others like me.

Hence this quick and dirty single page - it ain't pretty or fancily formatted, and it is quite lengthy, but it should do the job. It is also ENTIRELY FREE...

If you are here, I guess you are keen to get mining but you are similarly technically challenged!

The problem

The Maxcoin launch offered mining software downloads that were like gobbledygook to me, a nightmare... with a mass of coding and technical instructions I could not fathom.

Github, the main source of information, is designed for propeller-headed tech wizards, and not for the average non-geek Windows PC user.
Those same wizards think they are explaining everything, while assuming we all know much more than we do, and hence they only add to the mystique and confusion.

Mining pool sites are off putting to anyone not used to dealing with technical types or technical issues.
They can seem a bit daunting, and you may well have given up.

If you are similarly tech-challenged, have been put off by the sheer geekery of it all, and have never used the DOS command line in its snazzy ‘black box’ - yet want to mine TODAY - then don’t worry.

This brief guide will take you step by step through what you need to start Maxcoin mining in the next half hour or so, using your home PC and normal internet connection (as long as it is reliable and fast enough).

The Solution

Maxcoin Mining in 6 Easy Steps!

Just like the screenshot  at the top of this page, taken from my PC today! Sadly the Get Mining button next to it doesn't work, but bear with me...

Hopefully, something similar to this black window with its list of mining actions will appear magically on your screen by the time we are through, but you are probably already thinking WTF???

But no, you don’t need to know what threads, stratum or khash/s mean…

Do Not Be Put Off!

As I said, this site is for complete non-techies. But first, this.

IMPORTANT - SECURITY

Before doing anything PLEASE:

• Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and perform a full scan before starting this process if you have not already done so today.
• You really don’t want to experience a key logger nicking all your password protected files, emails and websites - or your newly mined cryptos.
• Believe me, it can be expensive: I lost c20 Bitcoins in late Nov 2013 thanks to a virus.
• Be paranoid - the bastards really are out to get your hard earned crypto coins largely because they are difficult to trace once stolen.

Scanning your PC right now with two or more anti-virus software suites is ideal, as no single program is infallible.

You have been warned.

Now, assuming your PC is safe to use then let’s get started, with these 6 simple steps.

Step 1.

You need the mining software.

Don’t worry, it is available for free, but you need some information first.
What Operating System (WTF???) do you have?
Don’t know? If you are like me, you probably don’t much care, but we need to know.

Find out by right clicking on My Computer, and then on Properties.
Hopefully, you will get something that looks like this:

Under System you can see which version of Microsoft’s Operating System (OS) you have, with 64b-bit shown in the example above.

The OS is critically important as it will determine which mining software you need to download. Use the wrong one and you won’t be mining…

I suggest you just download the relevant version directly into your Downloads file (the default usually).
Choose the appropriate link for your system here, and you will receive your cpuminer software:

• Windows 32-bit Operating System
• Windows 64-bit Operating System

NB I cannot vouch for the Windows 32 link, but the 64 one definitely works fine - that’s what I used.

I discovered the 32-bit cpuminer link thanks to Cryptomind of max-coin.net mining pool (details for joining below) - he is a very helpful guy so maybe you could give his pool a try.

If you are using a really old PC and its OS is neither of these (XP for instance) then the chances are you are wasting your time. Sorry, I certainly cannot help…

For everyone else, assuming you have now downloaded the software:

It is a zipped package (WTF???)… Don’t worry - simple to follow instructions coming.

The important thing is that the new zipped folder in your downloads file needs to be unzipped. But before you do that you need a location to put the unzipped files.

Create the cpuminer folder in C:

Just left click on My Computer,  right click on C: then -

Create a new file folder and name it cpuminer (you can do do this by right clicking on New, then Folder, and then enter cpuminer as the name). You should have something looking like this when you now click on C: under My Computer,  with cpuminer near the top of the folder list:

Now, got to Downloads, double click on your zipped file (cpuminer-win64 in this example) to see the screen  on the left, and if you click on the cpuminer file the pop up on the right will appear:

Click on the Extract To button, then click on the plus sign next to C: right below Computer and you will see a screen like this:

Click on the cpuminer folder.

Click the OK button…

You should now be able to see these files appear in your newly created cpuminer folder (similar for Win 32 but with fewer lines I think):

Congratulations. You now have the necessary mining software on your machine.

Sadly, there is still a bit more to do to get it actually working, but stick with it as you are half way there already…

Step 2

You need to join a mining pool (WTF???)
Why? Because the difficulty level (WTF???) is too high for going it alone, ie ‘solo mining’, so you need to register with a pool.

Here’s an up to date list - you can click on any one you like and register.

For the example in this guide I will use Max-coin.net, but the same applies at Mining4All.eu (my current pool) and most others have similar setups so switching is easy once you are up and running.

NB.  You will need a secure email address to use with the pool.
If you are paranoid like me, then I suggest you set up a new account dedicated to mining, and even if you use an existing email account please note the security instructions below.

IMPORTANT - SECURITY

Make sure your mining pool site access password is brand new, at least 14 characters long (yes, really), and not just a phrase or string of words or numbers that are easy to remember.

If a password is easy to remember it is probably easy to hack - and this applies equally to your email account.

The 14 characters should be mixture of lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols.

Something like this, but obviously not this: qiK5n&M0ig$29cd

Your four digit PIN should also be different to any other one you use.

DO NOT copy and paste the password and PIN into a word doc or your notepad for safe keeping.

Write it down on a piece of paper (duplicated) and keep it somewhere safe.

Do not let Windows or your internet browser remember the password for the site either: hackers will love you if you do - nicking your passwords is made easy for them if you use this facility.

End of rant!!!

Registration is pretty straightforward, with very little information required from you - a Username, email address and password/PIN. That’s it!

Here is Max-coin.net pool’s Home Page before registering/logging in, Don’t be diverted by the supposed ‘Quick Start:
Step

Click on Sign Up in the left hand column and follow the very simple instructions. In the example below you will see I chose WillP for my Username - you can use anything you like.

Once you have completed the online registration form (c2 mins), the pool will email a link to you to confirm you really are at the email address you have given.

Got that? Clicked on it? Have you input the email and password you just registered if requested? Are you logged in?

Yes!

Great, now you need to create a Worker.

Step 3

Creating a Worker

Your selected mining pool now knows you by the Username you selected, but you also have to connect them to your chosen mining computer’s CPU - the brain that will do the ‘mining’ calculations.

To do this, the mining pool needs to assign your computer a unique name to ensure you get paid for the work you do and you need to create a password specific to it.

This will become your Worker’s ID and Workers Password.

For those people lucky enough to have several PCs lying around, it is possible to assign an ID to each of them, and have several Workers beavering away together, but we will focus on just the one.

When you log into the pool site you will automatically go to Dashboard view shown here (only visible after logging in) - or just click on the relevant left hand column link from the Home Page.

On the Dashboard page you will see the link to My Workers in the left hand column under the My Account setting.

Click on that and the Add New Worker section will appear. You need to input a new Worker Name and Password like this:

NB  The info I have put in this screenshot is spoof - you need to keep your info secret, and trying mine will get a hacker nowhere!

You can choose to create your own PC Worker name (for this example I used Slave) and you should create another new password in the relevant boxes: in this example YourPassword.

NB - do not use the same password you used to login to the pool site!

Done that? Then click on the Add New Worker Button.

The screen should immediately refresh and you will see something like this:

NB Your full worker ID is now the pool Username you selected when registering, dot, worker name - and must look something like this:

WillP.Slave

This is important - as is the Worker password you created: you will need them both to hand ready to input into the command line (WTF???) to start mining (don’t panic, instructions are coming up shortly!).

I strongly recommend you open Notepad or a Word Doc and record them both there for now.

Step 4

Critical instructions for your computer’s ‘brain’
To start mining with your selected pool you will need to tell your PC what program to use (yup, you already have it in the cpuminer file) and how it can connect to your chosen mining pool site.

On the homepage of the mining pool site you will find the template for the relevant Windows DOS command necessary to do this - keep reading, don’t give up now, you are almost there…

Here are a couple of examples.

Max-coin.net

The Max-coin.net info is shown on the homepage and appears like this - remember that rather intimidating Quick Start box we encountered above? It contained these instructions apparently written in Klingon (WTF???):

Now, don’t do anything yet, but please note that the Worker ID and Worker password you created on your chosen pool site will be required and must appear exactly like the example template in the bottom box above, upper and lower case, with no extra spaces or spaces missing.

So, I suggest you go to your already open Notepad or Word Doc where you copied your Worker ID and Password and cut and paste the following line into the same document below them:

 minerd.exe -a keccak -o stratum+tcp://stratum01.max-coin.net:3333 -u WillP.Slave -p YourPassword

You need to carefully replace WillP.Slave and YourPassword in the example with your own recently created Worker details - cutting and pasting them over my example will do the job perfectly.

NB Be sure to use your Worker Password not your mining pool site access password...

Mining4All.eu

If you prefer to use Mining4All.eu the appropriate line of instructions can be copied in a similar way, but you also need to change the section highlighted in green above to:

stratum+tcp://max.mining4all.eu:3332

This is the relevant information specifying the location of your chosen mining pool. Any other Maxcoin mining pool will have a similar identifier for use in the appropriate command line, usually on their home page.

Hence it is dead easy to change pools if your selected one fails you (see below).

For Mining4All.eu the appropriate command, with whatever Worker ID/Password you created after registering and adding your Worker details at their site, will look like this:

 minerd.exe -a keccak -o stratum+tcp://max.mining4all.eu:3332 -u WillP.Slave -p YourPassword

IMPORTANT

This instruction to your PC will only work if it is exactly in the format shown, with the correct Worker ID and Password pasted in to replace my example ones.

If your PC fails to connect to the mining pool in the next section it is likely you screwed this up(!) so please be fastidious about getting the entire line absolutely 100% correct.

There are two other instruction lines that you need, and I recommend you copy them from here and add them into your Notepad doc or Word Doc so you have everything to hand:

cd C:\cpuminer

dir *.exe

You are now ready for...

Step 5

Using the command line in DOS

Okay, do not panic! You are almost there!!!

It really is easy.

Just meticulously follow these instructions. You really can be mining in a couple of minutes.

Go to Start on your PC and type cmd into the box, then press enter.

You will see a worrying looking black box appear with a flashing cursor next to Admin>

If the cursor is not flashing just mouse over it and click.

No problem!

You are not going to mess up your PC if you closely follow these instructions.

Firstly, go to your Notepad or Word Doc and use your mouse to highlight and copy this line you just popped there into the cursor:
 
 cd C:\cpuminer

Just right click on the flashing cursor in the black window. Hit Paste from the drop down box that appears…
Once the command is pasted in you can then hit the Enter key on your keyboard. It should look like this afterwards:

Next, from your Notepad or Word Doc you can highlight this line to paste it in exactly as it appears:

 dir *.exe

Again, to use the mouse to just right click on the flashing cursor next to cpuminer>

Hit Paste… Done those two things? If so you should see this:

Hit Enter again.

You should now have this, or something very similar(!), in front of you... and if you do you can be very confident you are about to take the final step to begin mining.

Now, highlight the entire line you just created above in Section 4, copying it directly from your Notepad or Word Doc (the long one in Klingon that starts with minerd.exe and ends with your password).

Justopy and paste it to the cursor in the way described above...

Now, hit Enter.

Within seconds you should see that you are mining. The black window should very quickly look something like this (I have scratched out my Username and Password, but yours should be in its rightful place showing right here:

If your newly installed cpuminer program is working as it should then you should see something like the last four lines above, ending in khash/s...

Can you see that?

Yes?

Then:

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have done it - you are now mining for Maxcoins. And it wasn't that tough was it?

You might even consider sending my Tip Box (below) some coins!

If following the five steps above failed then head directly to Troubleshooting below.
Step 6

Confirmation and Payment

• Go to your mining pool site and head to the My Workers section. You should see your PC is Active and Hashing (WTF???).
• Well done! You are mining, and you can monitor your Dashboard to see how you are doing and what earnings you are making.
• Be patient and let your PC whir away. You can use it as normal while mining - I am writing this online whjle listening to mp3s.
• You can now download a Maxcoin Wallet here or register with an exchange like mcxNOW to convert your Maxcoins to Bitcoin etc.
• Either option will give you an address to send the coins, which you can input on your mining pool Edit Account page to have them automatically sent there.

You can see what an crypto coin address looks like by heading down this page to my Tip Box.

Troubleshooting

What could possibly go wrong?

I did all the above and still kept getting this error message:

stratum_recv_line failed

Initially I assumed it was me, screwing something up. I went through everything I've outlined on here again, a few times. I went totally cross-eyed.

I then emailed the first mining pool I had chosen - twice over two days. No reply.

After several further attempts to connect, and much googling and searching forums without any joy, I decided to try a different pool out of sheer frustration and… these exact same 6 steps worked on the very first attempt!

Bear in mind that, as I type this in mid Feb 2014, most of these pools are brand new, and have some glitches of their own.

So if you get the same stratum_recv_line failed message, or something similar, or you failed to mine first time for no apparent reason PLEASE do the following before blaming me(!) or the mining pool you selected:

• Check that you have meticulously followed the steps above and not added to, deleted from or otherwise corrupted any of the critical information. This is the most likely cause of failure.

• If you have checked everything and you are sure it is correct then try a different pool.

• You will need to register afresh, and make certain to use the new site connection details, plus relevant Worker ID/Password, by going through the entire sequence outlined in section 2 to 6 above.

Firewall issues

You may also need to adjust your firewall settings.

Normally, Windows will either automatically allow your miner to access the internet, or ask you to authorise access first.

If not, and the above steps did not work for you, then it may be that your connection to the pool is being blocked by your firewall. It may need changing, manually…

How?

Ideally, find someone who knows what they’re doing to help. I REALLY am not qualified to advise. But you might just decide to have a go anyway and…

...try clicking through this sequence:

• Control Panel
• Windows Firewall
• Advanced Settings (left hand column)
• Inbound Rules (left hand column)
• New Rule… (right hand column)
• Program
• In the ‘This program path’ box Browse C: and click on the cpuminer folder
• Select minerd
• Follow instructions to finish

It worked for me, but I am no PC expert and if it still fails you’ll just have do what I did to get it working.

Scour Google!!!

Sorry, but as a self professed idiot I have pretty much come to the end of my minuscule knowledge base…

Apart from this stunningly wicked section!

WTF???A layman’s guide to the tech stuff in really simple terms - so please don’t bother trying to geek me on this, or asking questions. I know nothing more, and frankly I doubt you need to either…
Operating System - the stuff they stick on your PC that allows you to communicate with the machine.

Microsoft uses the Windows system that you are familiar with, and they allow you to navigate around with the keyboard or mouse, not worrying about all the bits and bytes, hexadecimal and other stuff under the hood (bonnet if you are UK), while using simple commands and your mouse.

DOS is the underlying machine operating system, that is not user friendly like the windows you and I are used to. Yet you need to access this primitive brain if you plan to mine, and speak its more esoteric language. Or at least just copy and paste stuff accurately into the ‘black box’ like I suggest on here!

I gather that the command line is the thing that allows you (or someone much better qualified than you) to communicate directly with this amygdala section of your computer’s brain, by inputting appropriate Klingon style gobbledygook into the flashing cursor in that black box…

Mining Pool: if you got this far I guess you have sussed that already. But why do you need to pool your efforts with others? Well, the more people that are mining away, the more difficult the mining becomes.

This is not sod’s law but Satoshi’s law (the guy who invented Bitcoins and the underlying protocols that all cryptos use, including Maxcoin): the Difficulty Level will inevitably increase over time to ensure the drip feeding of coins no matter how much effort mining pools can generate.

Since the difficulty level for mining Maxcoins has rapidly shot up due to their unprecedented popularity, it is pretty pointless trying to mine on your own. An average PC will be beaten to the coins by more powerful systems and pools that will get the solution required to unlock them first.

Hashing is a term used by miners and mining pools to describe the effort your machine is making to help solve the calculations necessary to discover new Maxcoins. The higher the hashrate you can achieve, the better. The more powerful your CPU (mine is 2.3 Ghz - whatever that means - see the Systems Window in section 1) the more hashing you can do in a given time. Normally measured in thousands of hashes per second, i.e. khash/s, as shown in the first and final black box images here. Mega hashing is better, ie mhash/s, and ghash/s better still. If you are CPU mining you might, like me, get to 2 mhash/s or so. This info can be found on your mining pool My Workers page and/or Dashboard.

Threads: my system apparently has four core elements called Threads, each producing over 500 khash/s. Whoopee.

Stratum, from what I can gather, is the mining pool marshalling all their miners’ hashing power and bringing it to bear on the current  blocks, chipping away for some coins. Whatever small percentage of that total hash rate you are contributing will determine the coins (fractions thereof) that you receive every time a new block is unlocked by your pool.

Zipped Files: this allows big files to be sent by email or downloaded more easily by compressing their contents, making them effectively smaller. You have to decompress them before using them though - hence unzipping thes cpuminer files by using the Extract To button in the example in section 1 above.

Klingon is a reference to the language spoken by a mythical creature in Star Trek. I can speak it fluently.

Not.

Is it all worth it?

I don’t know is the simple answer.

Your PC will burn extra electricity, and the coins you receive may not amount to much - may not even cover your extra expenses. The added wear on tear on your PC might also cost you…

It could take weeks to get just one coin worth a few dollars.

However, I believe Maxcoin has a unique advantage in the crypto coin market: it is the only coin with its own TV channel!

Well almost: Max Keiser, the creator, has a regular show on RT.com viewed by 20 million people. His topics relate to the financial world so his 20 million viewers are all sufficiently interested to spare 30 mins up to three times a week to hear what he and his guests have to say, in an informal and entertaining style.

Many viewers, like me, hate what the bankers have got away with since 2007/8, and the power they still wield over supposedly democratic societies.

Crypto currencies and the block chain protocols underlying them have the potential to disintermediate corrupt, greedy banksters and other overpaid 'professionals' like lawyers and stock brokers, parting them from many of their lucrative profit streams. Frankly, that is enough reason for me to support Maxcoin, Bitcoin and Litecoin.

Choose your own weapons in the new currency war to help us destroy the banking oligopoly…

Finally a note to the Cynical and the Geeks:

If you are snorting in disgust that anyone who can’t unzip a file or use a command line should even consider mining, or you are horrified by my interpretation of the WTF??? items listed, then I urge you to consider that getting the general public involved in cryptos is one of the reasons Max Keiser created the Maxcoin.

Encouraging and supporting the non-technical, average Windows user to get into cryptos, in whatever way, using simplified terms to help them 'get it', will expand the community, enhance acceptance and utility, and thereby the value of all the new currencies.

If you agree then good - if you don’t, well please don’t bother contacting me to argue the toss. I certainly won't bother replying.

However, if you are knowledgeable and prepared to offer help, support or advice to the numpties like me who need the sort of basic info on this site then please let me know!




Disclosure and Disclaimer

I receive no financial or other benefit or incentive from the mining pools or exchanges for their appearance on this site.
I am not promoting any specific mining pool or exchange.
I am not giving investment advice or suggesting anyone will make a lot of cash from mining or trading Maxcoins or other cryptos.
I make no pretence to being an expert on PCs or mining: I am merely trying to help others by detailing what worked for me in this guide.
Mining could open your PC up to viruses, or cause some other problems with your hardware.
I have no idea what problems are possible and I accept no liability.

I assume you are willing to take responsibility for your own actions…

Source : http://www.novelchoices.com/