Help Setting Up Spyder3Pro

I have a Dell Inspiron 1720 with an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT display adapter.

I need some help to ensure that I set things up correctly to work with my new Spyder3Pro. For example, on my laptop there is something called Nvidia Control panel that can be used to set contrast, brightness and gamma:

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Also, here are some screenshots of the Windows Vista Color Management:

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So, my questions are:

1. Is having the Nvidia Control panel going to create problems? If so, how do I disable it? Everything is set at factory default.

2. If my Spyder3Pro profile is called something like "Laptop Profile 2", should this be my default device profile?

3. Any other settings that I have wrong?

If it helps, here is the Nvidia stuff that shows up under msconfig:

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Ignore the Nvidia stuff. Leave everything at default. Create the profile using the Spyder3 and give the profile a unique name.

In Color Management use the new Spuder3 profile as your Device Profile.... the rest I don't know since I do not use Vista.

Thanks bohdank.

I was just concerned when I read on the Nvidia site that for the Spyder2 software Nvidia nView needed to be disabled or it could mess up the profile.

Here's how I set up the Spyder3 software:

1. I set the sliders in the Nvidia Control panel to "default"
2. In Spyder3pro software I:
a) Am using the default Gamma = 2.2 and White Point = 6500
b) Under "Edit Display Information" I checked Brightness and Contrast controls as existing.
c) Adjusted the Nvidia Control Panel Contrast slider as per the instructions on the "Set White Luminance" form
d) Adjusted the Nvidia Control Panel Brightness slider as per the instructions on the "Set Black Luminance" form

Then just followed all of the other instructions to calibrate my monitor.


Observations:

- I get exactly the same results for every calibration, which is good since it shows it's consistent.

- The resulting colours look like they have a bit of a yellow cast. I have to admit though that this could just be a perception problem and what I'm seeing may be correct.

- When I check the images in "SpyderProof" the profile seems to give a result with a lot of missing shadow area, as if the black point was set way too high.


Should I be changing Gamma or White Point? Does anybody else have their settings that are working for a Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop?

Leave the Nvidia controls at default. Use the monitor controls to change the brightness/contrast/RG​B or whatever Spyder3 tells you. Having 2 layers of software, Nvidia and Spyder just allows for more things to go wrong, imo. Maybe I am wrong about this...

This is what bugs me about the Spyder and probably other calibrators. It requires changing the physical settings of the monitor. Makes it impossible to have more than 1 profile.. for example a daytime one, when it's brighter in my room and sunlight, and evening profile when it darker and using artificial lighting.

I think the first time someone calibrates a monitor, the first reaction is... it's too warm..... it's likely, I have no way of knowing, that your monitor color is fine.

Monitors are inevitably shipped too bright and the colors are too "cool".

btw. I don't run Vista but, I hear, there are quite a few people that have had profile problems being reset, depending what application is being run. You might want to do a Google/whatever search.

Thanks bohdank.