Having connection problems with SQL Server 2005 Express

This is a bit of a cross-post from the VS 2005 Forum, but we don't have a forum dedicated to SQL Server 2005...
This is on my test machine running Windows XP Pro SP2 (NTFS),
I have an existing SQL 2000 database located on a separate hard drive dedicated to data -- the e:\ drive.
I just installed SQL Server 2005 Express, in the default installation directory (c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server) and I cannot connect to that database on the e:\ drive. Named pipes, error: 40 (Remote access services are not installed by default).
I don't want the database physically located on the c:\ drive.
I've been looking all over for the solution for this, and can't find it.
Advice or direction to reference materials would be appreciated.
TinkerWell, this was REALLY hard to solve - unneccessarily hard, I'm thinking - but I have (finally) solved it.
- Tinker|||Is is too much to ask what was the solution?
I dont understand people who post like "i found the solution, bye".

|||I don't know if I made a mistake in the initial software installation that caused this problem, the question hadn't garnered many views or much interest, and received no replies, but nonetheless: I'm sorry!
What worked for me was to uninstall SQL Server and when I reinstalled it, I chose the option to NOT install any of the sample databases that are included with the package. By not installing the samples the SQL Server Managment utility then allowed me to ATTACH to existing databases on a separate data drive. With the samples installed, I could not get ATTACH to work with my remote database.
And I didn't install the samples the second time around because I couldn't see any option to mount the samples on the same hard drive as my existing databases; they are installed in the SQL Server program folder by default. So the second time around, I chose to not install them and see if that made a difference -- and that seemed to have solved the problem I had getting ATTACH to work.
But let me empahsize that I don't know if I made a mistake during the original software install that prevented ATTACHING to my databases on a separate hard drive, and I haven't received a reply from Microsoft, yet, about whether I made a mistake.
And I don't know if dropping/deleting the sample databases would have been just as effective and much faster. I didn't try it. I had fiddled around so much trying to get ATTACH to work that I didn't trust the condition of the Server, and just started over with fresh installs. But knowing what I know now, I would have tried droppng the samples and seeing if that allowed me to ATTACH to a database on a different hard drive.
Hope this helps. When I hear back from MS, I'll let you know what they said, and whether the probelm was an undocumented feature, or my brain-fart,
Tinker|||Okay, sorry about that "angry mood" in my previous post but i was losing my mind with sql connection.
Resolved it by using right host/instance name :-)
cheer's
bassock

have lost the ability to get in

I never, ever cross-post, but I am desparate. This was placed in the
sqlserver.server group earlier today.
I installed SQL 2005 on a new machine last week. Created a database using
scripts. Worked fine for a few days. It's not on my machine, but on a
Win2003 Vitrual Server instance which I get to remotely.
Yesterday, I attached a database that had been created on another machine,
with SQL 2000. Seemed to work fine. I closed SQL Server to work on something
else, then opened it back up. It won't let me in now. It says that it
doesn't allow remote connections, even though I am doing it from the same
machine that it resides on. (Well, it's remote in that I am using Terminal
Services, but you know what I mean).
Text of the message is below the line at the bottom of this.
I tried changing the way I log in, including Windows Authentication, SQL
Server authentication, using my network name, and then using the user name I
created just for this thing when I installed SQL Server. I alwasy get the
same message. I also tried connecting remotely from another machine.
I was able to use this same machine to connect to another SQL Server
instance on the network, so it's apparent that the installation of SQL
Server isn't messed up.
I know that I will probably get asked about an admin username and password,
but I don't know what mine is. I tried sa with no password, but it didn't
work.
This is really causing some problems and I have something due at noon today.
Any help appreciated.
If I uninstalled SQL Server and re-install, will that let me in then?
-----
TITLE: Connect to Server
Cannot connect to SERV423.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When
connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that
under the default settings SQL Server does not 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?ProdN...2&LinkId=20476
BUTTONS:
OK
I stumbled across the fact that two of the services weren't running, despite
their being set to automatic. Not sure why, but at any rate, I started them
and I can get in now.
While I am happy that I am in, I sure wish MS would have given a more
intuitive error message; would have saved me a few hours.
|||Hi middletree,
Can you please tell use the exact services that needed to be started in
order for you to get this to work. I am having the exact same issue and
i've googled hi and lo with no apparent solution.
Thanks,
Brendan
middletree wrote:
> I stumbled across the fact that two of the services weren't running, despite
> their being set to automatic. Not sure why, but at any rate, I started them
> and I can get in now.
> While I am happy that I am in, I sure wish MS would have given a more
> intuitive error message; would have saved me a few hours.

have lost the ability to get in

I never, ever cross-post, but I am desparate. This was placed in the
sqlserver.server group earlier today.
I installed SQL 2005 on a new machine last week. Created a database using
scripts. Worked fine for a few days. It's not on my machine, but on a
Win2003 Vitrual Server instance which I get to remotely.
Yesterday, I attached a database that had been created on another machine,
with SQL 2000. Seemed to work fine. I closed SQL Server to work on something
else, then opened it back up. It won't let me in now. It says that it
doesn't allow remote connections, even though I am doing it from the same
machine that it resides on. (Well, it's remote in that I am using Terminal
Services, but you know what I mean).
Text of the message is below the line at the bottom of this.
I tried changing the way I log in, including Windows Authentication, SQL
Server authentication, using my network name, and then using the user name I
created just for this thing when I installed SQL Server. I alwasy get the
same message. I also tried connecting remotely from another machine.
I was able to use this same machine to connect to another SQL Server
instance on the network, so it's apparent that the installation of SQL
Server isn't messed up.
I know that I will probably get asked about an admin username and password,
but I don't know what mine is. I tried sa with no password, but it didn't
work.
This is really causing some problems and I have something due at noon today.
Any help appreciated.
If I uninstalled SQL Server and re-install, will that let me in then?
----
--
TITLE: Connect to Server
--
Cannot connect to SERV423.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When
connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that
under the default settings SQL Server does not 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:
tID=2&LinkId=20476" target="_blank">http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?Prod...=2&LinkId=20476
BUTTONS:
OK
--I stumbled across the fact that two of the services weren't running, despite
their being set to automatic. Not sure why, but at any rate, I started them
and I can get in now.
While I am happy that I am in, I sure wish MS would have given a more
intuitive error message; would have saved me a few hours.|||Hi middletree,
Can you please tell use the exact services that needed to be started in
order for you to get this to work. I am having the exact same issue and
i've googled hi and lo with no apparent solution.
Thanks,
Brendan
middletree wrote:
> I stumbled across the fact that two of the services weren't running, despi
te
> their being set to automatic. Not sure why, but at any rate, I started the
m
> and I can get in now.
> While I am happy that I am in, I sure wish MS would have given a more
> intuitive error message; would have saved me a few hours.