Thanks for the tip! If anyone else has found themselves annoyed by an exact internet search result hijacking a partial local result when you start typing and hit enter, the registry path is HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer, set DisableSearchBoxSuggestions DWORD to 1.

I also find the ads in Windows unnecessary and redundant, considering I already paid for it. What I wonder is if a certain number of people have become so accustomed to seeing ads everywhere that they feel like a system is somehow less "exciting" or "helpful" when they aren't being bombarded with calls to action. This could explain why ads and other constructs like points, achievements etc seem to be getting shoehorned into interfaces that historically didn't need them.