riporto la soluzione che ho trovato dovesse servire a qualcuno

codice:
 <html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>titolo</title>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
html, body {
width: 100%;
height:100%;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
background-color:#ffffff;
vertical-align:bottom;
font-family: verdana; 
font-size:11px;
color:#3F3F3F; 
}

.login {
height:auto;
margin-top:100px;
padding: 0;
position:absolute;
overflow: auto;
}

#container {
width: 900px;
height:auto;
overflow:auto;
margin-top:1px;
padding: 0;
position:relative;

}
#contenitoreFooter{
width:100%;
text-align:center;
height:100%;
position:absolute;
background-image:url(img-chs/bg.jpg);
background-repeat:repeat-y;
background-position:center;
}
#footer {
width: 900px;
heigh:20px;
bottom:0;
position:absolute;
background-color:#dcdcdc;
z-index:1;
font-family: verdana; 
font-size:10px;
color:#666666; 
text-align:right;
}
.testata {
width: 900px;
height: 65px;
padding: 0;
border: 0;
}
.testata-sx {
width: 212px;
height: 65px;
padding: 0;
background-image:url(img-chs/testata-sx.jpg);
}
.testata-centro {
width: 395px;
height: 65px;
padding: 0;
background-image:url(img-chs/testata-centro.jpg);
background-repeat:repeat-x;
border: 0;
}
.testata-dx {
width: 293px;
height: 65px;
padding: 0;
background-image:url(img-chs/testata-dx.jpg);
border: 0;
}
#menu {
width: 900px;
height: 20px;
margin-top:1px;
padding: 0;
position:relative;
background-color:#dcdcdc;
border: 0;
}


-->
</style></head>

<body>
<div id="contenitoreFooter">
<div id="footer">Powered By 4ward</div>
<div class="testata">
<span class="testata-sx"></span><span class="testata-centro"></span><span class="testata-dx"></span>

</div>
<div id="menu"></div>

<div id="container">Qui tutto il contenuto</div>


</div>
</body>
</html>
ciao