how to change back to earlier (non-screwed up) monitor profile ?

You cant just select it in Photoshop's Color Management window?

So perhaps I don't understand the window.

I have US Prepess defaults selected, so Adobe RGB shows in the RGB workingspace.   In that listbox, near the top, it says

    monitor RGB -- <bad profile>

Lower down there are many profiles listed, including the one I want to use.   But I don't want it as my working space, I want AdobeRGB1998 as the working space, no?

If I choose the good profile, it is now the working space, but the monitor profile is still the bad one ...

As long as photoshop is using the correct space, you're ok. You can change the windows color space by checking our your monitors control panel and picking a new profile.

So what I find puzzling about this is that when OptiCal is in control, it claims that it sets the system default profile, but when I look at my display device control panel, advanced button, color management .... it has no profiles listed or selected.

Profiles created by Adobe Gamma, on the other hand, do show up there.

If no profile is listed in my display control panel, but one *is* listed in photoshop as described in my first message, what does that mean ?

Or to put it another way, if I have a good profile for photoshop to use, why *not* have the whole system use it?

Windows color management is a nightmare. Between photoshop, Adobe Gamma, and windows all fighting for control it's a mess.

If you have a good photoshop profile, and it works for ALL your needs (you only do web, or only print for a certain press etc) then yes, use that profile for your ENTIRE system.

OK, so last thing, to clarify the original suggestion.

If I run adobe gamma, the new profile it creates is now listed under "monitor RGB" in the photoshop color settings listbox.
But if I don't want the adobe gamma profile, nor do I want the most recent optiCal profile (bad), but I want one of the previous optiCal profiles, which I have as carefully named files ... how do I get photoshop to assign a specific one of those files to the monitor ?

If I can do this then I can get back to the original situation, which was photoshop explicitly listing a profile, and my monitor control panel NOT listing any profile.

I'll stop bugging you after I get this straight.
Thanks.

Photoshop's color management only affects photoshop's canvas, so it's a bit irrelevant right now.
Photoshop doesn't assign anything to your monitors. That's the job of windows, and you have to do that through your monitors control panel. Just select the older profile.

I understand that distinction.   My problem is still that I can't get photoshop's canvas to use the older profile.

Before the spyder died I didn't need any profile attached in the monitor control panel in order for photoshop to accurately display colors using the profile that optical "had told photoshop about.   The question is how can I control what photoshop is using ?

Your original suggestion, to "select [the older profile] in Photoshop's Color Management window", does not appear to achieve this, but perhaps I'm missing something.   Edit -> Color Settings -> Working Spaces -> RGB listbox -> select old profile.             It changes the "RGB working space", rather than changing the "monitor RGB", which is still set to the bad profile..

Photoshop uses whatever is selected in the Color Management window. That selection ONLY changes how color is reproduced in the photoshop canvas. It doesn't change what is selected in windows.

Photoshop WILL use what is selected in windows if you turn photoshops color management off.

So I believe that the selection only changes things in photoshop, but that's not my question.

My question is how do I get the "monitor RGB -- <profile>" to be the profile I want, while leaving the working space as AdobeRGB(1998) ?

OK, thanks.