just noticed this...it seems i ran up against something similar not too long ago and it was a fairly obvious mistake...

screenshots, both incorrect and correct:

http://spry.psandl.com/img/ss_ie6.jpg

http://spry.psandl.com/img/ss_other.jpg


link to page:
http://spry.psandl.com/


code:

<div id="logoNav">
<div id="logo"><img src="/img/logo.gif"></div>
<div id="topNav">
<div id="topNavContainer">
<div id="topNavList">
<ul>
<li><a href="/index.php?sect=port&page=port">our work</a></li>
<li><a href="/clients.php">clients</a></li>

<li><a href="/about.php">about</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=contact">contact</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=news">news</a></li>
<li><a href="/xnet.php">login</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

</div>
</div>


<div id="navigation" >
<ul>
<li class="current"><a href="/" title="home">home</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=consult" title="consulting and planning">consulting & planning</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=research" title="market research">market research</a></li>

<li><a href="/index.php?page=pubs" title="publication programs">publication programs</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=ads" title="advertising">advertising</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?page=web" title="web and new media">web & new media</a></li>
<li><a href="/index.php?sect=seminars&page=seminars" title="seminars">seminars</a></li>
</ul>
</div>


css:

/* top navigation styles */

#navigation
{
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
width: 962px;
height: 37px;
background-image: url(/img/bg_nav.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
border: 0px solid #333;
}
#navigation ul
{
margin: 0;
height: 31px;
padding: 8px 0 0 100px;
border: 0px solid #000;
}
#navigation li
{
float: left;
list-style-type: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

#navigation li a
{
display: block;
width: auto;
padding: 0.1em 0.7em 0.5em 0.5em;
text-transform: lowercase;
text-decoration: none;
font: normal 14px Helvetica, Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, Arial;
color: #B1A78C;
}
* html #navigation li a
{
/*\*/ height: 1px; /* */
}
#navigation li a:hover
{
color: #fff;
background-color: transparent;
}



/* top nav styles */
#topNavContainer
{
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
#topNavList ul
{
margin: -13px 0 0 0;
padding: 0;
list-style-type: none;
}
#topNavList li
{
float: left;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
display: block;
}

#topNavList li a, #topNavList li a:link
{
height: 20px;
color: #fff;
text-decoration: none;
padding: 5px 6px 3px 6px;
display: block;
font: normal 10px Verdana, sans-serif;
text-transform: uppercase;

}

#topNavList li a:hover
{
color: #fff;
background-color: #6C8797;
}

#topNavList li a#current, #topNavList li a#current:link
{
color: #000;
cursor: default;
font-weight: bold;
border-bottom: 5px solid #999;
}

#logoNav {
width: 962px;
height: 45px;
}
#logo {
float: left;
padding-left: 100px;
}
#topNav {
float: right;
padding-right: 100px;
}


thanks.

Thanks! saved my day my friend.