diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Microsoft.Windows.Shell/WindowChromeWorker.cs b/MahApps.Metro/Microsoft.Windows.Shell/WindowChromeWorker.cs
index 553c843a94..e6f3cbcdb0 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Microsoft.Windows.Shell/WindowChromeWorker.cs
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Microsoft.Windows.Shell/WindowChromeWorker.cs
@@ -1125,7 +1125,16 @@ private void _ExtendGlassFrame()
             // Ensure standard HWND background painting when DWM isn't enabled.
             if (!NativeMethods.DwmIsCompositionEnabled())
             {
-                _hwndSource.CompositionTarget.BackgroundColor = SystemColors.WindowColor;
+                // Apply the transparent background to the HWND for disabled DwmIsComposition too
+                // but only if the window has the flag AllowsTransparency turned on
+                if (_window.AllowsTransparency)
+                {
+                    _hwndSource.CompositionTarget.BackgroundColor = Colors.Transparent;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    _hwndSource.CompositionTarget.BackgroundColor = SystemColors.WindowColor;
+                }
             }
             else
             {
@@ -1133,7 +1142,11 @@ private void _ExtendGlassFrame()
                 // The Window's Background needs to be changed independent of this.
 
                 // Apply the transparent background to the HWND
-                _hwndSource.CompositionTarget.BackgroundColor = Colors.Transparent;
+                // but only if the window has the flag AllowsTransparency turned on
+                if (_window.AllowsTransparency)
+                {
+                    _hwndSource.CompositionTarget.BackgroundColor = Colors.Transparent;
+                }
 
                 // Thickness is going to be DIPs, need to convert to system coordinates.
                 Thickness deviceGlassThickness = DpiHelper.LogicalThicknessToDevice(_chromeInfo.GlassFrameThickness);
diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseDark.xaml b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseDark.xaml
index 9e58dfb5a6..4a044240ae 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseDark.xaml
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseDark.xaml
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
+    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuItemBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
 
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseLight.xaml b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseLight.xaml
index 29ac698982..ac9a52affe 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseLight.xaml
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Accents/BaseLight.xaml
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
+    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuItemBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
 
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Colors.xaml b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Colors.xaml
index 9c5a9123b3..733c256ce3 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Colors.xaml
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Colors.xaml
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
+    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuItemBackgroundBrush" Color="{StaticResource WhiteColor}" />
 
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ContextMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="SubMenuBorderBrush" Color="{StaticResource BlackColor}" />
diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ComboBox.xaml b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ComboBox.xaml
index ac720a51fa..df4ca51e8b 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ComboBox.xaml
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ComboBox.xaml
@@ -290,20 +290,22 @@
                                    Opacity="0" />
                         <!-- AllowsTransparency="true" fixes the redraw problem under windows vista/7 with a selected non aero theme -->
                         <Popup x:Name="PART_Popup"
-                               AllowsTransparency="true"
+                               AllowsTransparency="True"
                                Focusable="False"
                                IsOpen="{Binding IsDropDownOpen, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}"
                                PopupAnimation="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemParameters.ComboBoxPopupAnimationKey}}"
                                MinWidth="{Binding ActualWidth, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}"
                                MaxHeight="{Binding MaxDropDownHeight, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}"
                                Placement="Bottom">
-                            <Border x:Name="PopupBorder"
-                                    Effect="{DynamicResource DropShadowBrush}"
-                                    BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
-                                    HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
-                                    Height="Auto"
-                                    BorderBrush="{DynamicResource ComboBoxPopupBrush}"
-                                    Background="{DynamicResource WhiteBrush}">
+                            <Grid>
+                                <Border x:Name="PopupBorder"
+                                        Effect="{DynamicResource DropShadowBrush}"
+                                        BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
+                                        HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                                        Height="Auto"
+                                        BorderBrush="{DynamicResource ComboBoxPopupBrush}"
+                                        Background="{DynamicResource WhiteBrush}">
+                                </Border>
                                 <ScrollViewer x:Name="DropDownScrollViewer"
                                               BorderThickness="0"
                                               Margin="2"
@@ -311,7 +313,7 @@
                                     <ItemsPresenter x:Name="ItemsPresenter"
                                                     KeyboardNavigation.DirectionalNavigation="Contained" />
                                 </ScrollViewer>
-                            </Border>
+                            </Grid>
                         </Popup>
                     </Grid>
                     <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
@@ -381,8 +383,10 @@
                 Value="Left" />
         <Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment"
                 Value="Top" />
+        <Setter Property="RenderOptions.ClearTypeHint"
+                Value="Enabled" />
         <Setter Property="Background"
-                Value="{DynamicResource TransparentWhiteBrush}" />
+                Value="{DynamicResource WhiteBrush}" />
         <Setter Property="BorderThickness"
                 Value="1" />
         <Setter Property="Template">
diff --git a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ContextMenu.xaml b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ContextMenu.xaml
index 7b567faa87..42f311cf85 100644
--- a/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ContextMenu.xaml
+++ b/MahApps.Metro/Styles/Controls.ContextMenu.xaml
@@ -153,8 +153,10 @@
                 Value="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" />
         <Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment"
                 Value="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" />
+        <Setter Property="RenderOptions.ClearTypeHint"
+                Value="Enabled" />
         <Setter Property="Background"
-                Value="Transparent" />
+                Value="{DynamicResource MenuItemBackgroundBrush}" />
         <Setter Property="ScrollViewer.PanningMode"
                 Value="Both" />
         <Setter Property="Stylus.IsFlicksEnabled"