SERVtomaste/Solidworks Licenses/PRIVACY-LOCKDOWN-README.md

SolidWorks Privacy Lockdown

Author: Atomaste Solution Purpose: Block telemetry while preserving license transfer functionality

Overview

This solution blocks all telemetry, analytics, and unnecessary communications from SolidWorks to Dassault Systèmes servers while preserving the ability to:

• Activate licenses
• Deactivate licenses
• Transfer licenses between machines

Quick Start

Preview Changes (Dry Run - RECOMMENDED FIRST)

# Open PowerShell as Administrator, then run:
cd "C:\Users\antoi\SERVtomaste\Solidworks Licenses\scripts"
.\00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1 -DryRun

This shows exactly what would be changed without modifying anything. A report is generated.

Install (Apply All Protections)

.\00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1

Uninstall (Remove All Protections)

.\00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1 -Undo

Verify Status

.\05-verify-lockdown.ps1 -Detailed

Reports

Every run generates a detailed report in scripts/reports/:

scripts/reports/
  └── lockdown-report_2024-01-15_14-30-00.txt

Report Contents

• System State Before: What was present before any changes
• Changes Made: Every modification with before/after values
• Summary: Count of changes by category (hosts, services, firewall, registry)

Example Report Output

================================================================================
  SOLIDWORKS PRIVACY LOCKDOWN REPORT
  Generated: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
  Computer: WORKSTATION-01
  User: Antoine
  Mode: INSTALL
================================================================================

SYSTEM STATE BEFORE CHANGES
  [BEFORE] Hosts file: No SolidWorks block found
  [BEFORE] Services: No SolidWorks services found
  [BEFORE] Firewall: No SolidWorks Privacy rules found

HOSTS FILE MODIFICATIONS
  [CHANGE] BLOCKED: telemetry.solidworks.com -> 127.0.0.1
  [CHANGE] BLOCKED: analytics.3ds.com -> 127.0.0.1
  ...

CHANGES SUMMARY
  HOSTS FILE CHANGES (18)
  SERVICES CHANGES (0)
  FIREWALL CHANGES (0)
  REGISTRY CHANGES (0)
  TOTAL CHANGES: 18
================================================================================

What Gets Blocked

Domains (via hosts file)

Domain	Purpose	Status
telemetry.solidworks.com	Telemetry	BLOCKED
analytics.3ds.com	Analytics	BLOCKED
collect.3ds.com	Data collection	BLOCKED
update.solidworks.com	Auto-updates	BLOCKED
api.3ds.com	3DEXPERIENCE API	BLOCKED
swym.3ds.com	Social/community	BLOCKED
sentry.io	Error tracking	BLOCKED
o136956.ingest.sentry.io	Error tracking	BLOCKED

Services Disabled

• SOLIDWORKS Update Publisher Service
• SolidWorks Background Downloader
• Any 3DEXPERIENCE background services

Firewall Rules

• Block outbound for: Update executables, Task schedulers, Downloaders
• Allow outbound for: SLDWORKS.exe (main app), License wizard

Registry Settings

• Customer Experience Improvement Program: Disabled
• Auto Check for Updates: Disabled
• Send Usage Statistics: Disabled
• 3DEXPERIENCE Integration: Disabled
• Background Downloader: Disabled

What Remains Accessible (Licensing)

Domain	Purpose	Status
activation.solidworks.com	License activation	ALLOWED
license.solidworks.com	License server	ALLOWED
licensing.solidworks.com	License management	ALLOWED

Scripts Reference

Script	Purpose
00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1	Master installer (runs all scripts)
01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1	Modifies hosts file
02-disable-services.ps1	Disables Windows services
03-configure-firewall.ps1	Creates firewall rules
04-disable-telemetry-registry.ps1	Modifies registry settings
05-verify-lockdown.ps1	Verifies lockdown status

Individual Script Usage

Each script supports:

• -Undo : Reverse the changes
• -ListOnly : Preview changes without applying (where applicable)

Examples

# Preview what hosts file changes would be made
.\01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1 -Undo  # to remove
.\01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1        # to apply

# List services without modifying
.\02-disable-services.ps1 -ListOnly

# Preview firewall rules
.\03-configure-firewall.ps1 -ListOnly

# Check current registry settings
.\04-disable-telemetry-registry.ps1 -ListOnly

Troubleshooting

License Activation Fails

1. Verify licensing domains are accessible:

   nslookup activation.solidworks.com
   nslookup license.solidworks.com
   

2. Temporarily remove hosts file block:

   .\01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1 -Undo
   

3. Complete license operation, then re-apply:

   .\01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1
   

SolidWorks Won't Launch

1. Run verification:

   .\05-verify-lockdown.ps1 -Detailed
   

2. Check if any critical service was disabled:

   .\02-disable-services.ps1 -ListOnly
   

3. Restore all settings:

   .\00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1 -Undo
   

Re-run After First SolidWorks Launch

Some registry settings only appear after SolidWorks runs for the first time. After initial launch:

.\04-disable-telemetry-registry.ps1

Backup Locations

Component	Backup Location
Hosts file	C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.backup.solidworks
Services	%USERPROFILE%\solidworks-services-backup.json
Registry	%USERPROFILE%\solidworks-registry-backup.reg

Reverting Changes

Complete Removal

.\00-install-privacy-lockdown.ps1 -Undo

Individual Components

.\01-block-telemetry-hosts.ps1 -Undo   # Remove hosts entries
.\02-disable-services.ps1 -Undo         # Restore services
.\03-configure-firewall.ps1 -Undo       # Remove firewall rules
.\04-disable-telemetry-registry.ps1 -Undo # Restore registry

Testing License Transfer

After applying the lockdown, verify license operations work:

1. In SolidWorks: Help > Transfer License > Deactivate
2. Wait for confirmation
3. Help > Transfer License > Activate on new machine

If this fails, the hosts file may be blocking a required domain. Check verification script output.

Installation Log - ANTOINETHINKPAD

Date: 2025-12-23 20:18:01 Computer: ANTOINETHINKPAD SolidWorks Version: SOLIDWORKS 2026

Changes Applied (22 total)

Hosts File (18 domains blocked)

127.0.0.1 api.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 www.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 swym.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 iam.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 cas.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 eu1-ds-iam.3dexperience.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 eu1-ds.3dexperience.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 update.solidworks.com
127.0.0.1 www.solidworks.com
127.0.0.1 sentry.io
127.0.0.1 o136956.ingest.sentry.io
127.0.0.1 telemetry.solidworks.com
127.0.0.1 analytics.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 collect.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 ifwe.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 eu1-ifwe.3dexperience.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 passport.3ds.com
127.0.0.1 3dswym.3ds.com

Services

• SolidWorks Licensing Service - Preserved (Manual startup) - required for licensing

Registry (4 settings disabled)

• CEIP (Customer Experience Improvement Program) → 0
• Auto Check for Updates → 0
• Analytics → 0
• Telemetry → 0

Backups Created

• Hosts file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.backup.solidworks.2025-12-23_20-18-01
• Services: C:\Users\antoi\solidworks-services-backup.json

Full Report

See: scripts/reports/lockdown-report_2025-12-23_20-18-01.txt

Notes

• All changes persist across reboots
• No third-party software required
• Uses only native Windows features (hosts, services, firewall, registry)
• Administrator privileges required for all operations
• Changes are fully reversible