Today, We will go through with the steps of renaming or changing SQL Server Standalone Named Instance.

Renaming or Changing SQL Server Standalone Named Instance is almost same as SQL Server Standalone Default Instance. You can change a SQL server named SQLServerinstance1 to some other name, such as SQLServerNewinstance1, but the instance portion of the name, instance1, will remain unchanged.

Refer : Rename or Change SQL Server Standalone Default Instance ()

Step 1 : Check Current Instance & host name

Current Host Name : admin-0783e4076

Current SQL Instance Name : admin-0783e4076SQL2K5_2

Select @@ServerName ServerName, Host_name() HostName

Step 2 : Rename Host name & reboot the server

Step 3 : Try to connect with SQL server ADMIN-0783E4076SQL2K5_2 & you will face below error because no instance of server name [ADMIN-0783E4076SQL2K5_2] exists as server name got changed

Cannot connect to ADMIN-0783E4076SQL2K5_2.

An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 – Could not open a connection to SQL Server) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 53)

Step 4 : Try to connect with “.SQL2K5_2” And Re Check Instance & host name and Drop old server name from server list of SQL

Exec sp_dropserver [ADMIN-0783E4076SQL2K5_2]

Step 5 : Add new server name as default server in server list of SQL

Exec sp_addserver [Win2K3_1SQL2K5_2],local

You can check default & other server ddetails from sys.servers.

SELECT * FROM SYS.SERVERS

Step 6 : Restart SQL Services

Step 7 : Try to connect with [Win2K3_1SQL2K5_2] And Re Check Instance & host name

You are done !

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Reference : Rohit Garg (http://mssqlfun.com/)