yep. forget setting it in the table, set it on the body, though
the old school method would be to use as massive image which wouldnt repeat unless you have a massive screen and then use
<body background="filename.gif">
i think there was some extra non standard attribute which prevents it repeating in certain browsers.
but the modern method (OK on IE5+, NN6, Mozilla, etc) would be to use CSS - this is the simplest way, embedding style definitions into the page:
<html>
<head>
...
<style>
body {
background-image: url(filename.gif);
background-color: #000000;
background-repeat: no repeat;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
....
</body>
</html>
if you don't want it to scroll with the rest of the page you can add
background-attachment: fixed;
in there too.
i find the W3's Schools site good for reference:
http://www.w3schools.com
http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp