Unable to connect to local SQL Express (2008)

Posted by Will on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by Will
Published on 2010-11-07T23:11:15Z Indexed on 2011/02/25 7:26 UTC
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sql-server-2008

I'm trying to get an installation of SQL Express 2008 working, but no matter what I do I can't connect to it with management studio.

I've enabled TCP/IP for the instance. I've tried connecting with machinename\instance, .\instance, (local), etc etc etc. Nothing works, and I always get the same message.

If I browse for a server, the only server listed is the local integration services, which I can connect to just fine.

The SQL server service is running (SQLEXPRESS), SQL Server Agent is not (and won't, can't enable it), and SQL Server Browser is.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to go next? I've tried uninstalling EVERYTHING sql and reinstalling, no change.

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