Question : Sql Server 2008 Express R2 - Cannot connect

Hi

Can somebody help me out with SQL Server 2008 Express R2?

I'm a complete sql server newb. The service is running, but when I open the management studio I can't connect. The error is

TITLE: Connect to Server
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Cannot connect to (local).

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing 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) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 2)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=2&LinkId=20476

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BUTTONS:

OK
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When I click browse for more, nothing is listed under local servers.

Answer : Sql Server 2008 Express R2 - Cannot connect

Right click the SQL Server service and go to properties. Look at the full path to the executable and see if there is a -s flag at the end followed by some text. If there is, this means that you have a named instance installed. If you DO have an instance installed, then you'll need to include that in the server name when connecting in SSMS. For example, if the instance name is SQL2008 you would connect to the instance by using the following server name: LOCALHOST\SQL2008.