diff --git a/manifests/init.pp b/manifests/init.pp
index aa5b37c3a..5b8f77ecf 100644
--- a/manifests/init.pp
+++ b/manifests/init.pp
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@
 # [package_version]
 #   The package version to upgrade to. Explicitly specify the version to upgrade to,
 #   or set to 'auto' to specify the version of the compiling master.
+# [manage_service]
+#   A boolean to simply indicate if we should ensure the service is running.
+#   If not, don't touch it
 # [service_names]
 #   An array of services to start, normally `puppet` and `mcollective`.
 #   None will be started if the array is empty.
@@ -97,6 +100,7 @@
   $manage_repo             = true,
   $package_name            = 'puppet-agent',
   $package_version         = undef,
+  $manage_service          = true,
   $service_names           = $::puppet_agent::params::service_names,
   $source                  = undef,
   $absolute_source         = undef,
@@ -194,7 +198,7 @@
     # - On Windows, services are handled by the puppet-agent MSI packages themselves.
     # ...but outside of PE, on other platforms, we must make sure the services are restarted. We do that with the
     # ::puppet_agent::service class. Make sure it's applied after the install process finishes if needed:
-    if $::osfamily != 'windows' and (!$is_pe or versioncmp($::clientversion, '4.0.0') < 0) {
+    if !$is_pe or versioncmp($::clientversion, '4.0.0') < 0 {
       class { '::puppet_agent::service':
         require => Class['::puppet_agent::install'],
       }
diff --git a/manifests/params.pp b/manifests/params.pp
index 877ef1c10..b9bb0b702 100644
--- a/manifests/params.pp
+++ b/manifests/params.pp
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
   if ($::osfamily == 'Solaris' and $::operatingsystemmajrelease == '11') {
     # Solaris 11 is a special case; it uses a custom script.
     $service_names = []
+  } elsif $::osfamily == 'windows' {
+    $service_names = ['puppet']
   } else {
     # Mcollective will be removed from this list in the service manifest if
     # the puppet version is >= 6.0.0
diff --git a/manifests/service.pp b/manifests/service.pp
index 186282235..c0e4c4f4f 100644
--- a/manifests/service.pp
+++ b/manifests/service.pp
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@
     file { ['/var/opt/lib', '/var/opt/lib/pe-puppet', '/var/opt/lib/pe-puppet/state']:
       ensure => directory,
     }
-  } else {
+  }
+
+  # as per class comment, this is where we actually manage the service proper.
+  if $::puppet_agent::manage_service {
     $_service_names.each |$service| {
       service { $service:
         ensure     => running,