Can not connect to user instance of SQL Server 2008 Express with Advance Services in Visual Studio 2

I just installed SQL Server 2008 Management studio Express on my Vista machine.

i tried connecting to local machine using :

.\sqlexpress, (local)\sqlexpress, or .\SQLExpress, MyPCNAME\SQLExpress

nothing is working, getting this error:

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Cannot connect to PC-NAME\SQLEXPRESS. 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: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)
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I've been struggling with the following issue for 3 days:  I can access and use my SQL Express 2008R2 database flawlessly from SQL Server Management Studio.  But I can only intermittently access it from Visual Studio (ultimate edition with TF Server).  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  I mostly see the error when I try to "Update Model from Database" within my Entity framework model, or when I try to access the database from within Server Explorer.

Here is the error I see when I try to update my Entities form the Database: An error occurred while connecting to the database.  The database might be unavailable.  An exception of type 'System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException' occurred.  The error message is: 'Cannot open user default database. Login failed.  Login failed for user 'Tim-PC\Tim'.'

I think the connection string is fine as I am able to connect

Hi,

I am using c# in VS 2010 Express. I have a MDF database that I connect to through "Database Explorer". Database Explorer will not let me SAVE columns that I have modified. As I know in SQL Server 2008 full edition you can change the setting "Prevent saving changes that require table recreation" in Management Console to prevent this. I haven't got Management Console and can't see it in install.

How do I change this setting if I haven't got management console? Is it in Registry or Config File.

Thanks.

John.   

Hi,

A few months ago I upgraded to VS2010 - at the same time I thought it would be good to upgrade to SQL Express 2008 R2.

It turned out that there was some compatibility issues between the two - "...cannot be opened because it is version 661. This server supports version 655 and earlier. A downgrade path is not supported."  After much trouble I restored the database and have done most of the stuff I need through VS itself.

Now I need to use SQL itself and am positively scared to death of what it could do to my database again.  Can anyone offer any advice - it is a service pack update or something...?

Thanks

John

I tried to install SQL Server 2008 R1 Express with Tools on Windows Server 2008 R2. It installed, but the management studio failed to install because it said I already had Visual Studio installed and it needed Visual Studio service pack 1 before Management Studio could install.

Visual Studio is nowhere to be found in Programs and Features, and when I try to install Visual Studio SP1, it won't install, saying:

I have installed SQL Server 2008 R2, then I installed VS2008 and VS2010 and when I start VS and go to the Data menu to add a data source, dialog box appear and ask me to select SQL instance. When i scroll nothings there!!!

I don't see my SQL instance.  the instance is: AYDINROSE-PC\SQLSERVER. By the way my Server Agent is not starting is this may present the problem?

I need this because I need to work with data on windows forms, but this error is blocking me to finish my work. Can someone PLEASE help me with this topic.

Thanks in  advance...

I have Windows 7 and installed Visual Studio 2008 Pro and also installed SQL server developer addiotion that comes with VS. After creating a test database in SQL maangement studio and adding the standard asp.net membership provider tables with the aspnet_regsql tool, I created a web project and added a connection string to the web.config file to connect to the database.

No matter what, I cannot connect to the database.

I can create a connection through the server explorer in visual studio and when I drag a sqldatasource onto my page and configure it I can connect to the database etc. But no web.config connection.

This worked on my XP pro machine but not Windows 7.

Has anybody had this problem and what am I doing wrong.

thanks

I have several css style sheets I want to work with.  I have copied them into the appropriate directory structure in my project.  The styles are applied correctly.

But the manage CSS styles tool bar on the left margin doesn't seem to work correctly.  At one point I had generated a style sheet and worked with it there, but now it not only can't find the one it generated, but the attach style sheet link doesn't respond at all, nor does anything in this bar.  Same deadness with the CSS Properties bar.  With or without a style sheet loaded in the editor -- a style sheet that is active in the project such that when I run it, the styles are applied.

VB version of studio, running on Vista home basic.

PS, the design mode works a lot better than the professional version I use in my day job on XP and server 2003.