diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/DatabaseContext.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/DatabaseContext.cs
index b48ab1bca4..5708b03c22 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/DatabaseContext.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/DatabaseContext.cs
@@ -110,14 +110,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core
         /// </remarks>
         public virtual UmbracoDatabase Database
         {
-            get
-            {
-                if (IsDatabaseConfigured == false)
-                {
-                    throw new InvalidOperationException("Cannot create a database instance, there is no available connection string");
-                }
-                return _factory.CreateDatabase();
-            }
+            get { return _factory.CreateDatabase(); }
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -209,7 +202,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core
                 }
                 else
                 {
-                    throw new NullReferenceException("Can't find a connection string with the name '" + Constants.System.UmbracoConnectionName + "'");
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException("Can't find a connection string with the name '" + GlobalSettings.UmbracoConnectionName + "'");
                 }
                 return _providerName;
             }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/PetaPoco.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/PetaPoco.cs
index ba44af2c28..b569b1c45d 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/PetaPoco.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/PetaPoco.cs
@@ -167,12 +167,12 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Persistence
 			var providerName = Constants.DatabaseProviders.SqlServer;
 			if (ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[connectionStringName] != null)
 			{
-				if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[connectionStringName].ProviderName) == false)
+				if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[connectionStringName].ProviderName))
 					providerName = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings[connectionStringName].ProviderName;
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				throw new NullReferenceException("Can't find a connection string with the name '" + connectionStringName + "'");
+				throw new InvalidOperationException("Can't find a connection string with the name '" + connectionStringName + "'");
 			}
 
 			// Store factory and connection string
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/UmbracoApplicationBase.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/UmbracoApplicationBase.cs
index 7f1f0803f8..92f5a476f9 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/UmbracoApplicationBase.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/UmbracoApplicationBase.cs
@@ -59,16 +59,6 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core
 
             //And now we can dispose of our startup handlers - save some memory
             ApplicationEventsResolver.Current.Dispose();
-
-            // after Umbraco has started there is a database in "context" and that context is
-            // going to stay there and never get destroyed nor reused, so we have to ensure that
-            // the database is disposed (which will auto-remove it from context).
-            if (ApplicationContext.Current.DatabaseContext.IsDatabaseConfigured)
-            {
-                var database = ApplicationContext.Current.DatabaseContext.Database;
-                if (database != null) // never to happen... unless in weird tests
-                    ApplicationContext.Current.DatabaseContext.Database.Dispose();
-            }
         }
 
         /// <summary>