Error connecting to SQL Server 2008 R2 Express

Question

I have installed SQL Server 2008 R2 Express on Windows 7.

When I run a web project in VS2010 I receive the following error:

A network-related or i

Answer 1

red cheeks

Found the problem. Web.config configured with a session db, but no session db created and wasn't planning any longer to do so. Forget to turn it off ...

Answer 2

Did you try to use SQLExpress as instance name in the connection string?

PCName\SQLExpress

Moreover check if your server is configured to accept connections via TCP/IP (check Sql Server Configuration Manager). Can you connect to your database using SQL Server Management Studio? Test your connection from Visual Studio, does it work?

Answer 3

Named instances that aren't using a TCP binding are usually referenced as .\[instance name], such as .\SQLExpress or perhaps .\SQLServer in your example.