Blackbird for Windows (7, 8, and 10)

When it comes to Windows, getting rid of telemetry, keyloggers, and other spyware Microsoft has embedded in your operating system can be rather difficult.  Fortunately, there are a few utilities that can help you take back control over your privacy and security.  One of these utilities is Blackbird, and it is now my preferred privacy and security utility for removing the Microsoft bloatware and spyware that Microsoft has embedded in their latest versions of Windows (Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10). 

To use Blackbird, simply download and run the latest version from their site:

https://www.getblackbird.net/

If for some reason you can't download it from their official site, you can download the latest version from this mirror.

Fix for Mapped Network Drive Issues

After running Blackbird and using it to remove Microsoft's embedded spyware, your mapped network drives to your Network Attached Storage (NAS) drives may no longer work or load properly.  To fix this, download and extract this zip file (named blackbird_fix_smb1_nas_drives.zip) into the same directory where you unzipped the blackbird.exe file.  Then, double click on the "blackbird-network-issues-fix-including-smbv1.bat" file which will run scripts to fix your Server Message Block Version 1 (SMB1) settings.  Reboot your computer after running the batch file, and your NAS drives should work again.

Destroy Windows Spying

I used to use Destroy Windows Spying, but unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in a long time and is no longer being actively developed or maintained, and as such, Blackbird is now my preferred destroy windows spying utility!

Common Internet File System (CIFS) – Login Using Anonymous (Guest) Account to Network Shares & NAS Systems

Windows 7:

To map and connect to a network share that is using the SMB1 protocol in Windows, there are a few things that you need to do depending on which version of Windows you use.  In Windows 7, it should be pretty easy.  When mapping the network drive, be sure to check the "Connect using different credentials" box.  For the login, use "anonymous".  Leave the password field blank (don't provide a password).

Windows 10:

Windows 10 doesn't support the SMB1 protocol by default.  However, it can be enabled.  To enable SMB1 support, go to the Control Panel, click on "Programs and Features", and then click on the "Turn Windows features on or off" link in the left sidebar.  Under the "SMB 1.0" category, enable the "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client" by clicking the checkbox and making sure it's in a checked state.  Uncheck the "SMB 1.0/CIFS Automatic Removal" entry if it's enabled as it will cause anonymous logins to SMB1.0 shares to fail.

The next step is to configure Windows 10 to allow anonymous logins to network shares.

To enable access under the guest account from your computer, you need to use the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). Go to the section: Computer Configuration -> Administrative templates -> Network -> Lanman Workstation. Find and enable the policy "Enable insecure guest logons". These policy settings determine whether the SMB client will allow the guest logon to the SMB server.

More Detailed Guide | Archived Copy

Windows 7 and 10:

If you get a message that a drive is already mapped using different credentials, simply map the connection using its IP address instead rather than its name.