diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 99fc1445..051fa7d7 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -26,9 +26,6 @@ datadog_additional_checks: []
 # set this to `true` to delete default checks
 datadog_disable_default_checks: false
 
-# default tracked checks
-datadog_tracked_checks: "{{ datadog_checks | list + datadog_additional_checks }}"
-
 # default user/group
 datadog_user: dd-agent
 datadog_group: dd-agent
diff --git a/tasks/agent-win.yml b/tasks/agent-win.yml
index 359c3e7a..75e58954 100644
--- a/tasks/agent-win.yml
+++ b/tasks/agent-win.yml
@@ -50,6 +50,15 @@
   with_items: "{{ datadog_checks|list }}"
   notify: restart datadog-agent-win
 
+- name: Ensure datadog-trace-agent and datadog-process-agent are not disabled
+  win_service:
+    name: "{{ item }}"
+    start_mode: manual
+  when: not datadog_skip_running_check and datadog_enabled and not ansible_check_mode
+  with_list:
+    - datadog-trace-agent
+    - datadog-process-agent
+
 - name: Create system-probe configuration file
   win_template:
     src: system-probe.yaml.j2
@@ -63,15 +72,16 @@
     start_mode: auto
   when: not datadog_skip_running_check and datadog_enabled and not ansible_check_mode
 
-- name: Ensure datadog-agent is not running
+- name: Ensure datadog-agent is disabled
   win_service:
     name: "{{ item }}"
     state: stopped
+    start_mode: disabled
   when: not datadog_skip_running_check and not datadog_enabled
   with_list:
-    - datadogagent
-    - datadog-process-agent
     - datadog-trace-agent
+    - datadog-process-agent
+    - datadogagent    
 
 - name: Create installation information file
   template:
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 9a6c700b..93a104d7 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 - name: Check if OS is supported
   include_tasks: os-check.yml
 
+- name: Resolve datadog_tracked_checks later to defend against variable presidence issues arising from dynamically included null datadog_checks 
+  include_tasks: sanitize-checks.yml
+
 - name: Set Facts for Datadog Agent Major Version
   include_tasks: set-parse-version.yml
 
diff --git a/tasks/sanitize-checks.yml b/tasks/sanitize-checks.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1778722a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/sanitize-checks.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+- name: Defend against defined but null datadog_checks variable
+  set_fact:
+      datadog_checks: "{{ datadog_checks | default({}, true) }}"
+
+- name: Resolve datadog_tracked_checks
+  set_fact:
+    datadog_tracked_checks: "{{ datadog_checks | list + datadog_additional_checks | default([], true) }}"
+