fresh install, pricing doesnt work!! help!

[Sel_888]

OK! Holy nOOb here, but I just cannot understand what is going wrong.

wow... k. stats first.
zen-cart version 1.3.9h
date of install - like two weeks ago
server - Hostgator - linux
PHP Version 5.2.15

I have done NOTHING to zencart yet. well, kinda, but not anything close to what I am dealing with.

I have only one category.
I am setting up ONE (count it, one) product.
just one
and whenever I am trying to set a price to it, (eg - 2.99) it REFUSES to take. I keep everything simple in setting up this product, no for pricing with attributes and all that. but when I hit "preview" for the item, it always states it's 0 (that's a big fat ZERO) for the price.
I really don't get it. I have spent over two days searching for reasons that this could happen until now I am bowing before you all to tell me where I have gone wrong.

No adjustments have been made to any files, no extra configuring to other areas that I can think of.

please tell me that others have had this problem and theres a setting that I have overlooked.

-Sel

EDIT -
Upon further research, i see that "my store">store status is set to 0 = normal store. Should i need to change that to 2 = showcase with prices?