I'm so completely new at trying run a local SQL server that it's laughable to watch me try.
Anyhow, I made the install to my laptop and it seemed to go okay with no errors or anything like that. When I look in the configuration manager it says that SQL Server is running and that I'm connected as 'LocalSystem'. When I try to connect in the Server Management Studio for Server Name it finds the name of my laptop in 'Network Servers' I would think it should be under 'Local', No? When i try to connect I get an error along the lines of 'Network related or Instance-Specific' error. Any ideas how to straighten this out?
Also, What I really want to do is make a fresh install on my desktop computer to act as the server and use the external drive on that machine to store my db info. Any tips how to set it up without making a royal mess of it like i did on this machine?
Any help is greatly appreciated.