Monitor Settings for Spyder2 Express Calibration?

[49erbruin]

( I hope I am posting this in the correct area).

I have a Spyder2 Express calibrator and an HP f2105 monitor.

I would go to my monitor menu, select "Restore Factory Settings" and then calibrate. I thought this would get me on the right track, but it wasn't working. My on-screen colors were not matching my prints from mpix.com. (The prints were yellower and "muddier").

Then I read somewhere that 1) it looks like "restore factory settings" was not affecting my color, brightness or contrast settings and 2) I should set my monitor's color to 6500K and then calibrate.

I changed the color to 6500K, and also set my monitor's Brightness=0 and Contrast=100. My prints on-screen look pretty close in color to the prints I just received, except that highlights on skin are brighter on screen.

I am hoping I am now on the right track, but wanted to ask if I now have my monitor settings correct to perform my calibration?

(Oh, and I do use the sRGB profile and soft proof with mpix's profiles)

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!