diff --git a/ankiqt/ui/help.py b/ankiqt/ui/help.py
index 9ca420c63..4494e2a0e 100644
--- a/ankiqt/ui/help.py
+++ b/ankiqt/ui/help.py
@@ -30,41 +30,17 @@ class HelpArea(object):
         self.widget.show()
 
     def hide(self):
-        self.currentKey = None
         self.helpFrame.hide()
         self.widget.hide()
         if self.mainWindow:
             self.mainWindow.runHook("helpChanged")
 
-    def showKey(self, key, noFlush=False, dict=False):
-        "Look up KEY in DATA and show."
-        text = self.data[key]
-        # accomodate some quirks in QTextEdit's html interpreter
-        text = text.strip()
-        if dict:
-            text = text % dict
-        self.showText(text, noFlush, key=key)
-
-    def showHideableKey(self, key, dict=False):
-        "Look up a hideable KEY in DATA and show."
-        if self.config.get("hide:" + key, False):
-            # user requested not to see this key. if previous key was help, we
-            # need to hide it
-            if self.currentKey in self.data:
-                self.hide()
-            return
-        self.showKey(key, noFlush=True, dict=dict)
-        self.addRemover(key)
-        self.flush()
-
-    def showText(self, text, noFlush=False, py={}, key="misc"):
+    def showText(self, text, py={}):
         self.show()
         self.buffer = text
         self.addHider()
         self.handlers = py
-        if not noFlush:
-            self.flush()
-        self.currentKey = key
+        self.flush()
         if self.mainWindow:
             self.mainWindow.runHook("helpChanged")
 
@@ -79,11 +55,6 @@ class HelpArea(object):
         self.widget.setHtml(style + '<div id="content">' +
                             self.buffer + '</div>')
 
-    def addRemover(self, key):
-        self.buffer += (" / <a href=hide:%s>" +
-                        _("Don't show this again.")
-                        + "</a>") % key
-
     def addHider(self):
         self.buffer += _("<p><a href=hide:>Hide this</a>")
 
@@ -96,6 +67,8 @@ class HelpArea(object):
                 # hide for good
                 self.config[addr] = True
             self.hide()
+            if "hide" in self.handlers:
+                self.handlers["hide"]()
         elif addr.startswith("py:"):
             key = addr[3:]
             if key in self.handlers:
diff --git a/ankiqt/ui/main.py b/ankiqt/ui/main.py
index ef8ca42a8..4ac353916 100644
--- a/ankiqt/ui/main.py
+++ b/ankiqt/ui/main.py
@@ -132,7 +132,12 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
         self.lastState = getattr(self, "state", None)
         self.state = state
         self.updateTitleBar()
+        if 'state' != 'noDeck':
+            self.mainWin.welcomeText.hide()
+            self.mainWin.mainText.show()
         if state == "noDeck":
+            self.mainWin.welcomeText.show()
+            self.mainWin.mainText.hide()
             self.help.hide()
             self.currentCard = None
             self.lastCard = None
@@ -753,13 +758,13 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
         self.anchorPrefixes = {
             'welcome': self.onWelcomeAnchor,
             }
-        self.connect(self.mainWin.mainText,
+        self.connect(self.mainWin.welcomeText,
                      SIGNAL("anchorClicked(QUrl)"),
                      self.anchorClicked)
 
     def anchorClicked(self, url):
         # prevent the link being handled
-        self.mainWin.mainText.setSource(QUrl(""))
+        self.mainWin.welcomeText.setSource(QUrl(""))
         addr = unicode(url.toString())
         fields = addr.split(":")
         if len(fields) > 1 and fields[0] in self.anchorPrefixes:
@@ -843,7 +848,6 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
 
     def onCardStats(self):
         self.addHook("showQuestion", self.onCardStats)
-        self.addHook("helpChanged", self.removeCardStatsHook)
         txt = ""
         if self.currentCard:
             txt += _("<h1>Current card</h1>")
@@ -853,12 +857,12 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
             txt += anki.stats.CardStats(self.deck, self.lastCard).report()
         if not txt:
             txt = _("No current card or last card.")
-        self.help.showText(txt, key="cardStats")
+        self.help.showText(txt, py={'hide': self.removeCardStatsHook})
 
     def removeCardStatsHook(self):
         "Remove the update hook if the help menu was changed."
-        if self.help.currentKey != "cardStats":
-            self.removeHook("showQuestion", self.onCardStats)
+        print "rem"
+        self.removeHook("showQuestion", self.onCardStats)
 
     def onShowGraph(self):
         self.setStatus(_("Loading graphs (may take time).."))
@@ -1078,8 +1082,7 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
         # bug triggered by preferences dialog - underlying c++ widgets are not
         # garbage collected until the middle of the child thread
         import gc; gc.collect()
-        self.bodyView.clearWindow()
-        self.bodyView.flush()
+        self.mainWin.welcomeText.setText(u"")
         self.syncThread = ui.sync.Sync(self, u, p, interactive, create,
                                        onlyMerge, self.sourcesToCheck)
         self.connect(self.syncThread, SIGNAL("setStatus"), self.setSyncStatus)
@@ -1093,6 +1096,9 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
         self.connect(self.syncThread, SIGNAL("closeSyncProgress"), self.closeSyncProgress)
         self.connect(self.syncThread, SIGNAL("updateSyncProgress"), self.updateSyncProgress)
         self.syncThread.start()
+        self.mainWin.buttonWidget.hide()
+        self.mainWin.mainText.hide()
+        self.mainWin.welcomeText.show()
         self.setEnabled(False)
         while not self.syncThread.isFinished():
             self.app.processEvents()
@@ -1102,6 +1108,7 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
 
     def syncFinished(self):
         "Reopen after sync finished."
+        self.mainWin.buttonWidget.show()
         if self.loadAfterSync:
             self.loadDeck(self.deckPath, sync=False)
             self.deck.syncName = self.syncName
@@ -1133,7 +1140,7 @@ class AnkiQt(QMainWindow):
 
     def setSyncStatus(self, text, *args):
         self.setStatus(text, *args)
-        self.mainWin.mainText.append("<font size=+6>" + text + "</font>")
+        self.mainWin.welcomeText.append("<font size=+6>" + text + "</font>")
 
     def syncClockOff(self, diff):
         ui.utils.showWarning(
diff --git a/ankiqt/ui/view.py b/ankiqt/ui/view.py
index 4ba8b1a6c..cf01738ad 100644
--- a/ankiqt/ui/view.py
+++ b/ankiqt/ui/view.py
@@ -30,9 +30,6 @@ class View(object):
         self.oldState = getattr(self, 'state', None)
         self.state = state
         if self.state == "initial":
-            self.shownLearnHelp = False
-            self.shownReviewHelp = False
-            self.shownFinalHelp = False
             return
         elif self.state == "noDeck":
             self.clearWindow()
@@ -47,7 +44,6 @@ class View(object):
             return
         self.clearWindow()
         self.setBackgroundColour()
-        self.maybeHelp()
         if not self.main.deck.isEmpty():
             if not self.main.lastCard or (
                 not self.main.config['showLastCardContent'] and
@@ -165,34 +161,11 @@ class View(object):
                 self.write(msg)
             self.write("<br>")
 
-    # Help
-    ##########################################################################
-
-    def maybeHelp(self):
-        return
-        stats = self.main.deck.sched.getStats()
-        if not stats['pending']:
-            self.main.help.hide()
-        elif (self.main.currentCard and
-            self.main.currentCard.nextTime > time.time()):
-            if not self.shownFinalHelp:
-                self.shownFinalHelp = True
-                self.main.help.showHideableKey("finalReview")
-        elif stats['learnMode']:
-            if not self.shownLearnHelp:
-                if stats['pending'] != 0:
-                    self.shownLearnHelp = True
-                    self.main.help.showHideableKey("learn")
-        else:
-            if not self.shownReviewHelp:
-                self.shownReviewHelp = True
-                self.main.help.showHideableKey("review")
-
     # Welcome/empty/finished deck messages
     ##########################################################################
 
     def drawWelcomeMessage(self):
-        self.write(_("""
+        self.main.mainWin.welcomeText.setText(_("""
 <h1>Welcome to Anki!</h1>
 <p>
 <table>
diff --git a/designer/main.ui b/designer/main.ui
index ac410c767..cc1bb13d6 100644
--- a/designer/main.ui
+++ b/designer/main.ui
@@ -129,6 +129,16 @@
        <property name="margin" >
         <number>5</number>
        </property>
+       <item>
+        <widget class="QTextBrowser" name="welcomeText" >
+         <property name="focusPolicy" >
+          <enum>Qt::ClickFocus</enum>
+         </property>
+         <property name="frameShape" >
+          <enum>QFrame::NoFrame</enum>
+         </property>
+        </widget>
+       </item>
        <item>
         <widget class="QWebView" name="mainText" >
          <property name="sizePolicy" >
@@ -137,6 +147,9 @@
            <verstretch>0</verstretch>
           </sizepolicy>
          </property>
+         <property name="focusPolicy" >
+          <enum>Qt::WheelFocus</enum>
+         </property>
          <property name="url" >
           <url>
            <string>about:blank</string>