because "a:link" etc. are selectors, not a properies...
You need to set it up as
HTML Code:
.vbmenu_navcontrol {background: #990000 url(http://www.automotive-technicians.com/forums/images/atfMenuBGMain.png) repeat; font-color: #FFFFFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma, verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; padding: 3px 6px 3px 6px; white-space: nowrap;}
.vbmenu_navcontrol a {color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: none;}
.vbmenu_navcontrol a:hover {text-decoration: underline;}