user1973: My wallet has been stuck synchronizing for 21 days, my transfer is in the block chain but I can't get it to sync with my wallet. I've closed firewalls, uninstalled and reinstalled QT with back up and cannot get the wallet to get current, it is frozen and I can't get my 20 BTC. I'm fairly new and am unable to copy and paste blockchain or whatever. I still have the original Bitcoin address the bitcoins were transfered to from my mtgox account.

user108: Your coins are not lost as long as you have the private keys from your wallet.dat file, which can be found in C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin for Windows 7. Most likely your problem is the client which was fed with wrong data.
Bitcoin-Qt is a full node and backbone of Bitcoin Network, but it's a bit hard to get it right for a new user. 
You should try what Stephen Gornick suggested. Blockchain.info is an eWallet that will do all the work. The desktop sync functionality will use the right data from blockchain.info and your private keys from your desktop to let you manage your bitcoins.

user516: It's not your wallet you need to "get current"; it's the blockchain. However, the standard client does need an internet connection for many of its functions. 
Firstly, you want to ensure you've got a backup of your wallet.dat (preferably encrypted) file, which contains the private keys you need to recover your funds. If it was me, I'd make 2 copies and store them on different machines in different locations.
Once you've done that, you need to get your client app up and running. This is likely to take some further analysis, but to start with can you please state the version of the client you're trying to use, and whether or not you are using a proxy server for your internet connection.
Note also that the blockchain is available for download separately;  you'd save a lot of time doing it that way as synchronization can take hours (it's a disk-intensive process). See details here: Can I download the whole block chain from somewhere?
The QT client may still be able to export the private key for your receiving address without an internet connection, which you would be able to import to a different client or an e-wallet to use your funds; can anyone confirm?

user153: I haven't used it yet, but maybe there is a method you might find useful.
BlockChain.info/wallet has a "desktop sync" feature in which you configure your client to act as a server and accept RPC commands.  Then the BlockChain.info/wallet plugin will grab your keys from your wallet.dat and sync them by copying them to your BlockChain.info/wallet
You don't need to have the client current with the latest blockchain download for this to work and it doesn't use the Bitcoin P2P network so this should solve your problem.

user1976: I can help!
Your money is "yours", it just isn't being listed in your wallet because as you say, your wallet is having trouble updating... That's OK! You can access it in other ways, such as an online e-wallet:
First, we need to get your "private key":

Close bitcoin completely, then
Open control panel, select "large icons" in the top right corner
Click "folder options", or if you are opening it from the start menu, just click "folder options"
Click the "view" tab
under "hidden files and folders", click "show hidden files and folders and drives"
Deselect "hide extensions of known file types", this will allow you to see the bitcoin working folder
press OK
right click the start button and click "open windows explorer"
doubleclick "local disk (c:)" under "my computer"
doubleclick "users"
doubleclick "yourusername" eg "john"
doubleclick "appdata"
doubleclick "roaming"
doubleclick the "bitcoin" folder

(this is for Windows 7, for XP the directory is C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\Bitcoin (XP))

right click an empty area in the folder and select "new">"text document"
doubleclick the new text document
type the following 2 lines into the empty text document:
rpcuser=someusername
rpcpassword=somepassword
replace someusername and somepassword with anything (you don't have to remember it later) so button mashing udhf9w8dg98rgu will work (no spaces)
"file">"save as" type "bitcoin.conf"
press save
Right click the start button and click "open windows explorer"
doubleclick "local disk (c:)" under "my computer"
doubleclick "program files(x86)"
doubleclick "bitcoin"
hold shift and right click on "daemon"
click "open command window here"
type "bitcoind"
leave that window open,
Wait 2 minutes for the daemon to load
Don't close the window  
Go back to the explorer window, and again,
Hold shift and right click on "daemon"
Click "open command window here"

If your wallet is encrypted, go to A then proceed to B if not go straight to B

A: type "bitcoind walletpassphrase 600" where walletpassphrase is your wallet password and press enter
B: type "bitcoind dumpprivkey 1YourBitcoinAddress1234567890"



replace 1YourBitcoinAddress1234567890 with the address where you withdrew the money to. You will get a long string of numbers. Leave this window open...

Upload the private key to a managed service 

Goto blockchain.info
click "wallet" at the top
click "start a new wallet"
sign up for a new wallet
once your new wallet is created, log in to it.
go to the tab that says "import/export"
press "continue" at the warning
where it says "import private key", type the long string of numbers EXACTLY from the black window
press "add private key"

Your wallet is now managed online.

1973: <p>My wallet has been stuck synchronizing for 21 days, my transfer is in the block chain but I can't get it to sync with my wallet. I've closed firewalls, uninstalled and reinstalled QT with back up and cannot get the wallet to get current, it is frozen and I can't get my 20 BTC. I'm fairly new and am unable to copy and paste blockchain or whatever. I still have the original Bitcoin address the bitcoins were transfered to from my mtgox account.</p>
 108: <p>Your coins are not lost as long as you have the private keys from your wallet.dat file, which can be found in <code>C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Bitcoin</code> for Windows 7. Most likely your problem is the client which was fed with wrong data.</p>

<p>Bitcoin-Qt is a full node and backbone of Bitcoin Network, but it's a bit hard to get it right for a new user. </p>

<p>You should try what Stephen Gornick suggested. <a href="http://blockchain.info/wallet" rel="nofollow">Blockchain.info</a> is an eWallet that will do all the work. The desktop sync functionality will use the right data from blockchain.info and your private keys from your desktop to let you manage your bitcoins.</p>
 516: <p>It's not your wallet you need to "get current"; it's the blockchain. However, the standard client does need an internet connection for many of its functions. </p>

<p>Firstly, you want to ensure you've <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/746/516">got a backup of your wallet.dat</a> (preferably encrypted) file, which contains the private keys you need to recover your funds. If it was me, I'd make 2 copies and store them on different machines in different locations.</p>

<p>Once you've done that, you need to get your client app up and running. This is likely to take some further analysis, but to start with can you please state the version of the client you're trying to use, and whether or not you are using a proxy server for your internet connection.</p>

<p>Note also that the blockchain is available for download separately;  you'd save a lot of time doing it that way as synchronization can take hours (it's a disk-intensive process). See details here: <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/799/516">Can I download the whole block chain from somewhere?</a></p>

<p>The QT client may still be able to export the private key for your receiving address without an internet connection, which you would be able to import to a different client or an e-wallet to use your funds; can anyone confirm?</p>
 153: <p>I haven't used it yet, but maybe there is a method you might find useful.</p>

<p>BlockChain.info/wallet has a "desktop sync" feature in which you configure your client to act as a server and accept RPC commands.  Then the BlockChain.info/wallet plugin will grab your keys from your wallet.dat and sync them by copying them to your BlockChain.info/wallet</p>

<p>You don't need to have the client current with the latest blockchain download for this to work and it doesn't use the Bitcoin P2P network so this should solve your problem.</p>
 1976: <p>I can help!</p>

<p>Your money is "yours", it just isn't being listed in your wallet because as you say, your wallet is having trouble updating... That's OK! You can access it in other ways, such as an online e-wallet:</p>

<p>First, we need to get your "private key":</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Close bitcoin completely, then</p></li>
<li><p>Open control panel, select "large icons" in the top right corner</p></li>
<li><p>Click "folder options", or if you are opening it from the start menu, just click "folder options"</p></li>
<li><p>Click the "view" tab</p></li>
<li><p>under "hidden files and folders", click "show hidden files and folders and drives"</p></li>
<li><p>Deselect "hide extensions of known file types", this will allow you to see the bitcoin working folder</p></li>
<li><p>press OK</p></li>
<li><p>right click the start button and click "open windows explorer"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "local disk (c:)" under "my computer"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "users"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "yourusername" eg "john"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "appdata"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "roaming"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick the "bitcoin" folder</p></li>
</ol>

<p>(this is for Windows 7, for XP the directory is <code>C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\Bitcoin (XP)</code>)</p>

<ol start="15">
<li><p>right click an empty area in the folder and select "new">"text document"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick the new text document</p></li>
<li><p>type the following 2 lines into the empty text document:</p></li>
<li><p>rpcuser=someusername</p></li>
<li><p>rpcpassword=somepassword</p></li>
<li><p>replace someusername and somepassword with anything (you don't have to remember it later) so button mashing udhf9w8dg98rgu will work (no spaces)</p></li>
<li><p>"file">"save as" type "bitcoin.conf"</p></li>
<li><p>press save</p></li>
<li><p>Right click the start button and click "open windows explorer"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "local disk (c:)" under "my computer"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "program files(x86)"</p></li>
<li><p>doubleclick "bitcoin"</p></li>
<li><p>hold shift and right click on "daemon"</p></li>
<li><p>click "open command window here"</p></li>
<li><p>type "bitcoind"</p></li>
<li><p>leave that window open,</p></li>
<li><p>Wait 2 minutes for the daemon to load</p></li>
<li><p>Don't close the window  </p></li>
<li><p>Go back to the explorer window, and again,</p></li>
<li><p>Hold shift and right click on "daemon"</p></li>
<li><p>Click "open command window here"</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If your wallet is encrypted, go to A then proceed to B if not go straight to B</p>

<ul>
<li><p>A: type "bitcoind walletpassphrase 600" where walletpassphrase is your wallet password and press enter</p></li>
<li><p>B: type "bitcoind dumpprivkey 1YourBitcoinAddress1234567890"</p></li>
</ul>

<p></p>

<ol start="36">
<li>replace 1YourBitcoinAddress1234567890 with the address where you withdrew the money to. You will get a long string of numbers. Leave this window open...</li>
</ol>

<p><strong>Upload the private key to a managed service</strong> </p>

<ol start="37">
<li><p>Goto blockchain.info</p></li>
<li><p>click "wallet" at the top</p></li>
<li><p>click "start a new wallet"</p></li>
<li><p>sign up for a new wallet</p></li>
<li><p>once your new wallet is created, log in to it.</p></li>
<li><p>go to the tab that says "import/export"</p></li>
<li><p>press "continue" at the warning</p></li>
<li><p>where it says "import private key", type the long string of numbers EXACTLY from the black window</p></li>
<li><p>press "add private key"</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Your wallet is now managed online.</p>
