The whole idea of HTML is that you can make webpages appear in a certain way, regardless of the size screen. If you want a webpage to be a fixed width, size and length, then set it with FLASH or a big JPG file. Or define your table with the stretchable sections and fixed width sections. Use a Graphic to force a minimum width. Take a look at what I did at this website.
http://www.cruisingconnecticut.com Try setting the width of your window to many different settings. Then try setting different Text sizes. See how I float certain table cells and push the leftmost and rightmost cells to the outside edge. You have no way of knowing if someone is viewing your page at 600 X 480 or 1280 X 1024, so make your page ADAPT. You have no idea if your visitor has Stylesheets Disabled and are using the ACCESSIBILITY features to set their own text style and/or color scheme. Actually, your webpage might be viewed by a PDA or Blackberry.Good luck and Happy Computing!