history expansion again

[matthi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Matthias Kopfermann)]

well, i  read the mailinglist for a long time without asking
about my history-problem.
i wanted to find out myself.

i used the variables like  in  the zsh-faq.
still i did not get a history-file.
then i found out, that i needed /etc/zshenv for it to work.
everything is fine now, but:
 i love to see old typed history-commands completed.
but somehow only the today history-commands do get completed
when i  am a normal user. when i am root, everything is as it should
be, so i am clueless.
to make it sure: i get history-completion but not from yesterdays commands :(

i have not the smallest idea, why.

i read the history-description again and again but no help.
the command i love is history-beginning-search-backward.
 hmm, i don't know, do i have to get more into details?
 i use linux 2.029 on a pentium with zsh-3.1.2