Preloader bytes_total

hi,
is there a way to distinguish between what the preloader defines as "bytes_total = " within the code? or what to load first?
it seems that my preloader (which has graphics of its own that need to load) is considering itself within bytes_total…or something?

i downloaded the final .fla located at
http://kirupa.com/developer/mx/percentagepreloader.htm
and tweaked it, but nothing major…
is any of this making sense?
thanks a lot,
danny