diff --git a/src/msw/choice.cpp b/src/msw/choice.cpp
index a7f0cdde8a..a646c1f9e7 100644
--- a/src/msw/choice.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/choice.cpp
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxChoice::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     if (!IsEnabled())
         colBack = wxSystemSettings::GetSystemColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_3DFACE);
diff --git a/src/msw/combobox.cpp b/src/msw/combobox.cpp
index f7dd28dc07..2692928b2c 100644
--- a/src/msw/combobox.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/combobox.cpp
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxComboBox::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     if (!IsEnabled())
         colBack = wxSystemSettings::GetSystemColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_3DFACE);
diff --git a/src/msw/control.cpp b/src/msw/control.cpp
index c0cb13c992..9df9911fc2 100644
--- a/src/msw/control.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/control.cpp
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxControl::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     ::SetBkColor(hdc, wxColourToRGB(colBack));
     ::SetTextColor(hdc, wxColourToRGB(GetForegroundColour()));
diff --git a/src/msw/radiobox.cpp b/src/msw/radiobox.cpp
index 88c88c3e1c..c705e4a933 100644
--- a/src/msw/radiobox.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/radiobox.cpp
@@ -792,7 +792,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxRadioBox::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     if (!IsEnabled())
         colBack = wxSystemSettings::GetSystemColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_3DFACE);
diff --git a/src/msw/radiobut.cpp b/src/msw/radiobut.cpp
index 5061e9f8c3..e390f5e247 100644
--- a/src/msw/radiobut.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/radiobut.cpp
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxRadioButton::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     if (!IsEnabled())
         colBack = wxSystemSettings::GetSystemColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_3DFACE);
diff --git a/src/msw/textctrl.cpp b/src/msw/textctrl.cpp
index bffcfb5149..8ff0fbe59a 100644
--- a/src/msw/textctrl.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/textctrl.cpp
@@ -526,17 +526,8 @@ bool wxTextCtrl::CanPaste() const
 
 void wxTextCtrl::SetEditable(bool editable)
 {
-    bool isEditable = IsEditable();
-
     HWND hWnd = GetHwnd();
     SendMessage(hWnd, EM_SETREADONLY, (WPARAM)!editable, (LPARAM)0L);
-/*
-    if (editable != isEditable)
-    {
-       SetupColours();
-       Refresh();
-    }
-*/
 }
 
 void wxTextCtrl::SetInsertionPoint(long pos)
@@ -982,7 +973,7 @@ WXHBRUSH wxTextCtrl::OnCtlColor(WXHDC pDC, WXHWND pWnd, WXUINT nCtlColor,
     else
         SetBkMode(hdc, OPAQUE);
 
-    wxColour& colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
+    wxColour colBack = GetBackgroundColour();
 
     if (!IsEnabled() && (GetWindowStyle() & wxTE_MULTILINE) == 0)
         colBack = wxSystemSettings::GetSystemColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_3DFACE);
diff --git a/src/msw/window.cpp b/src/msw/window.cpp
index 1f56f745e0..764e82ef59 100644
--- a/src/msw/window.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/window.cpp
@@ -2302,16 +2302,19 @@ bool wxWindow::MSWCreate(int id,
     if ( width > -1 ) width1 = width;
     if ( height > -1 ) height1 = height;
 
-    // Unfortunately this won't work in WIN16. Unless perhaps
-    // we define WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT ourselves?
-#ifndef __WIN16__
+    // unfortunately, setting WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT only for some windows in the
+    // hierarchy with several embedded panels (and not all of them) causes the
+    // program to hang during the next call to IsDialogMessage() due to the bug
+    // in this function (at least in Windows NT 4.0, it seems to work ok in
+    // Win2K)
+#if 0
     // if we have wxTAB_TRAVERSAL style, we want WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT or
     // IsDialogMessage() won't work for us
     if ( GetWindowStyleFlag() & wxTAB_TRAVERSAL )
     {
         extendedStyle |= WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT;
     }
-#endif
+#endif // 0
 
     HWND hParent = (HWND)NULL;
     if ( parent )