diff --git a/basicswap/basicswap.py b/basicswap/basicswap.py
index 4bf74f8..aaa4c32 100644
--- a/basicswap/basicswap.py
+++ b/basicswap/basicswap.py
@@ -820,6 +820,9 @@ class BasicSwap(BaseApp):
         chain_client_settings = self.getChainClientSettings(coin_type)
         if 'startup_tries' in chain_client_settings:
             startup_tries = chain_client_settings['startup_tries']
+        if startup_tries < 1:
+            self.log.warning('startup_tries can\'t be less than 1.')
+            startup_tries = 1
         for i in range(startup_tries):
             if self.delay_event.is_set():
                 return
diff --git a/bin/basicswap_prepare.py b/bin/basicswap_prepare.py
index b726169..8ffbc86 100755
--- a/bin/basicswap_prepare.py
+++ b/bin/basicswap_prepare.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ PARTICL_LINUX_EXTRA = os.getenv('PARTICL_LINUX_EXTRA', 'nousb')
 LITECOIN_VERSION = os.getenv('LITECOIN_VERSION', '0.21.2.2')
 LITECOIN_VERSION_TAG = os.getenv('LITECOIN_VERSION_TAG', '')
 
-BITCOIN_VERSION = os.getenv('BITCOIN_VERSION', '23.0')
+BITCOIN_VERSION = os.getenv('BITCOIN_VERSION', '26.0')
 BITCOIN_VERSION_TAG = os.getenv('BITCOIN_VERSION_TAG', '')
 
 MONERO_VERSION = os.getenv('MONERO_VERSION', '0.18.2.2')
@@ -884,6 +884,7 @@ def prepareDataDir(coin, settings, chain, particl_mnemonic, extra_opts={}):
             if LTC_RPC_USER != '':
                 fp.write('rpcauth={}:{}${}\n'.format(LTC_RPC_USER, salt, password_to_hmac(salt, LTC_RPC_PWD)))
         elif coin == 'bitcoin':
+            fp.write('deprecatedrpc=create_bdb\n')
             fp.write('prune=2000\n')
             fp.write('fallbackfee=0.0002\n')
             if BTC_RPC_USER != '':
diff --git a/tests/basicswap/common.py b/tests/basicswap/common.py
index 2a36ab7..7ca0abe 100644
--- a/tests/basicswap/common.py
+++ b/tests/basicswap/common.py
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ def prepareDataDir(datadir, node_id, conf_file, dir_prefix, base_p2p_port=BASE_P
         fp.write('wallet=wallet.dat\n')
         fp.write('findpeers=0\n')
 
-        if base_p2p_port == BASE_PORT:  # Particl
+        if base_p2p_port == BTC_BASE_PORT:
+            fp.write('deprecatedrpc=create_bdb\n')
+        elif base_p2p_port == BASE_PORT:  # Particl
             fp.write('zmqpubsmsg=tcp://127.0.0.1:{}\n'.format(BASE_ZMQ_PORT + node_id))
             # minstakeinterval=5  # Using walletsettings stakelimit instead
             fp.write('stakethreadconddelayms=1000\n')