I've put back the original config file. Then i tried to shutdown the computer, so I could turn it back on and see if it would boot to the desktop. when i typed "shutdown now" or "shutdown -n", neither command turned off the PC. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's a different story.
I eventually typed "init 5", and it put me back on my desktop with 1600x1200 resolution.
but when I try tuxracer, it satill says that error message.

Getting DRI working, and thus 3D, and getting the mesa drivers off, are all related. You HAVE to use the ATI made xorg.conf or at least modify theirs to work with your settings, AS A START. beyond that, every step of the way needs to be checked and flawlessly exectued, you should recieve no error message in any of the log files the drivers make as they install, or you get nothing. It is very picky.

Once you get it set right, a few things will be obvious. In the ATI control in the kmenu, you will see the right drivers, not the mesa listed, but ATI. DRI wil be enabled and so will 3d hardware acceleration. And then your scores for glxgears will be off the charts compared to before, and you can run 3d games, and OpenGL screensavers.

I can't run glrxconfig now! it just keeps saying the command's not found.
So probably I should just wipe off the current ATI stuff and restart. it's not in YaST software management, so can I just delete the files? (/usr/X11R6/bin/fireglcontrolpanel)

that could be because there is no glrx...it is FGLRX.