Can't get SQL Manager to connect to server instance SQLEXPRESS

I installed SQL Server Express and SQL Server manager, then tried to start manager. SQL Service is running, but SQL Manager attempt to connect to SQL Server instance times-out even though I correctly identify instance as SQLEXPRESS? Everything seems to be normal - both SQL Server and Manager are on a single Windows XP home machine. Any suggestions. ThanksHi,
Try using .\SQLEXPRESS as the instance name...

cheers,
Paul June A. Domag|||Great - It Works! Thanks|||After reading this thread and another one I've tried entering the following in express manager and I still can't connect:

.\MSSQLSERVER
(local)\MSSQLSERVER

I am running SQL Server Express June CTP on a Win2K3 box. SQL Express Manager is also running on the same Win2K3 box.

I have opened all the network protocols for SQL Server Express, I've also enabled the SQL Server browser. There are no firewalls involved. This is probably the most insecure setup, yet I still cannot connect locally

Any ideas?

I followed all the instructions here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/6/3/a63ec922-913e-4228-93e3-970abff3fd66/ReadmeSQLExpMgr.htm
and here
http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlexpress/archive/2005/05/05/415084.aspx

Nothing seems to work.
|||Hi,
Actually its .\SQLServer not .\MSSQLSERVER.
Have you tried it? got any versions installed before the June CTP?
cheers,
Paul June A. Domag|||Unfortunately that didn't work either.
All I have installed is June CTP on a fresh install of Win2K3 Standard.
In the SQL Server Configuration Manager under "name" it says: SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER).
This would indicate the name of the SQL server is "MSSQLSERVER" correct? I chose "default" instance during the install and that is the name it gave itself.
This is getting frustrating... I thought programming with MS stuff would be easy. I could have connected to MySQL a hundred different ways by now.
|||Just a two cents worth general comment - the MS beta's tend to have problems that the production versions don't - having used SQL Server from the time it was Sybase Server to date I can say it is great software that occassionally suffers from growing pains. PS|||Yeah, I don't expect Beta software to be 100% functional but I do expect the basic functionality to be working and straightforward. Connecting to the server shouldn't be this difficult. Especially if you consider the target market for this product.
|||Hi,
Oops, I guess I had a typo. Its .\SqlExpress, If you choose default instance...
cheers,
Paul June A. Domag|||After all that I accidently stumbled upon a solution.
The only thing that works for my installation is just plain ".\" (no quotes) and nothing else. Go figure. Hopefully this post saves someone else a lot of time.
|||Hi,
Weird... Could you report a bug in Product Feedback? So that Microsoft would be aware of this...

cheers,
Paul June A. Domag|||thanks a lot this helped!!!!!

Paul Domag wrote:

Hi,
Try using .\SQLEXPRESS as the instance name...

cheers,
Paul June A. Domag

|||Thanks!!!! I have been pulling my hair out all night trying to figure out why I couldn't connect. That did the trick. Why doesn't MS tell you about these important details.|||

I'm getting error like

SqlDateTime overflow. Must be between 1/1/1753 12:00:00 AM and 12/31/9999 11:59:59 PM.

I want to set it bet 1/1/0001 to 31/12/9999. how to do this?

So do u have any solution over it pls.

I think u have solution over it because I have seen same problem u had .

At last Happy New Year 2006 at this first meet ing with u

Balasaheb

|||Hi,

There are only two datatypes that could handle date and time values in sqlserver. These are DateTime and SmallDateTime. Both of these types cold not handle data between 1/1/0001 to 31/12/9999. But you can store these dates as a varchar and just parse the dates to calculate them in your program...

cheers,

Paul June A. Domag