'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources ...

(1) The elimination of unwanted signals in an electronic circuit. See noise and dynamic noise reduction. (2) The elimination of unwanted noise in the environment using noise cancelling headphones.

The good news is that you can quiet the noise with a few tweaks to your settings in various places. If you’re seeing ads on your lock screen, it’s likely due to the Windows Spotlight feature.