a few questions regarding layout...

first (and i'm sure this one is going to be really easy), how do i get rid of the

"Congratulations! You have successfully installed your Zen Cart™ E-Commerce Solution.
Welcome Guest! Would you like to log yourself in?" text on the main page?

or at least, how do i get rid of the congratulations part...

second, how do i change the width of the main content? I got rid of all the sideboxes I didn't want to use and moved the ones I do want all onto the right side. Now I would like the main content part to be wider to take up the empty space where the left sideboxes would be if i had them showing.

third, why when i add a picture to the main page (in define pages), do the categories show AGAIN at the bottom. I have categories Tabs ON, but they only show up top until I added a picture.

Sorry if this was so long... Thanks guys!

Start in the FAQ section under Catalog > Template Customizing.

The answer to your first question is in the FAQ.

The answer to the second is that you may have emptied the left column, but probably haven't turned it off.

The answer to your third is that your cart sounds kinda broken. But we would need to see it to understand how and offer advice.

ok sorry. here's my store... http://eclecticaclothing.com/store/

As suspected, you have emptied the left column but not turned it off, so it's still taking up space and compressing your main column.

I don't understand your comment about category tabs disappearing when you put an image in. They're still there in FF and IE.

Also don't understand your comment about them appearing at the bottom. They're not there. Are you referring to their appearance in the middle above the "new products for August" heading. If so, that's most likely because you have your "Categories - Always Show on Main Page" (Admin > Configuration > LayoutSettings) set to true.

thanks guys! I think I got it figured out!