Can't connect to SQL Server engine on local PC

  • Hi all,

    I installed SQL Server 2008 (not express) on my PC, but when tried to connect with SSMS, got this message:

    "A network-related or instance specific error occured while established a connection to SQL Server.

    The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections.(provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40- Could not open a connection to SQL Server) (Misrosoft SQL Server, Error 2)"

    My connection dialog box to SSMS is:

    Server type: Database Engine.

    Server name: (local)

    Authentication: I tried both - Windows and SQL Server, none of them works.

    Login: sa -- during installation process I did provide password for sa.

    What should I check ? Where to start troubleshooting ?

    Thanks

  • Is the SQL Server service actually started? Check this through SQL Server Configuration Manager. The error you are receiving is not a credentials issue, but a connection problem. When you installed SQL Server did you create a default instance? If so, (local) should work just fine. But if you created a named instance (for argument's sake), you need to be using (local)\YourNamedInstance.

    For further troubleshooting, see my blog post on this particular error.



    Twitter: @SQLife
    Email: sqlsalt(at)outlook(dot)com

  • All 7 services are running:

    1. Browser

    2. SQL Srever instance

    3. Agent

    4. Full-text

    5. SSAS

    6. SSIS

    7. SSRS

    I also checkd client configuration:

    1. Shared mmory

    2. TCP/IP

    3. Named Pipes

    Should I check anything else ?

  • What's the instance name?



    Twitter: @SQLife
    Email: sqlsalt(at)outlook(dot)com

  • Thanks, I figured it out. I had both (local) and server name before /instance name. Now I cleared .

    Thank you all.

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