HELP! SQL Server does not exist or access denied

[nashoba]

I am surprised that this error is not well documented, as it seems from a quick Google search that this has been an unanswered issue for a lot of people.

Upon trying to install Plesk version 7.6 for Windows with MS SQL Server Express 2005, I can get as far as the installation asking me for the MS SQL Server information. However, when I put in the host "localhost" (I also tried the live IP address as well), the username "sa" (I also tried creating another user with MORE permissions than "sa" originally has), and my correct password (I even reset the password several times to make sure that wasn't the issue), I am getting this precise--albeit, rather generic and unhelpful--error message:

[DBNETLIB][ConnectionOpen (Connect()).]SQL Server does not exist or access denied.

So far, I have tried the Knowledge Base at both SWsoft and Microsoft, I have talked to the technicians at the hosting company, and I have spent a bunch of time just going through Google and forums trying to find a solution. I also made sure that the TCP/IP protocol was enabled in the SQL Server Configuration Manager, and I restarted the SQL server after enabling. Looking in the TCP/IP Properties under the "IPAll" section, the TCP Dynamic Ports is set to 2460, so supposedly the MS SQL Server is binding a port and I should be able to connect to it through the Plesk installer, but nothing I have tried has worked.

Please help.

 

[bladefx]

make sure that in your "Client Network Utility" the Alias is set to named pipes.
I've found that plesk changed it to TCP/IP when upgrading.

 

[Deltafox]

same issue over here but then i found the solution:

Host: .\SQLEXPRESS
User: sa
Pass: pass

good luck

 

[Gris@]

By default after installation MSSQL 2005 has tcp/ip disabled but Plesk connects to MSSQL server usyng it.
So that to connect MSSQL server to Plesk you need to enable tcp/ip first.

 

[eugenevdm]

Wow this post is so confusing because everyone gives a different answer. I found this article on SWSoft's forum:

http://kb.swsoft.com/article_146_1120_en.html

which implies enabling TCP/IP, but isn't there something else that needs to be done in order to use SQL Express?

 

[djkast]

Has anyone been able to resolve this?
I am having this same problem as well..

 

[a3n1ma]

I actually tried the hostname that deltafox used, and it fixed my same problem.

 

[djkast]

nice,

worked for me too

 

[thewolf]

Originally posted by Deltafox
same issue over here but then i found the solution:

Host: .\SQLEXPRESS
User: sa
Pass: pass

good luck

This fixed my issue with Plesk 8.1 not finding the SQL Server Express 2005 database on Windows Server 2003, thanks!

Can I ask what that host notation exactly means?

Thanks.

 

[iTechSquad]

Doesn't seem to work for me :-(

The worst part is it takes about 5 minutes of trying before Plesk realizes it can't connect ...

I tried de IP, .\SQLEXPRESS, localhost, none work.

I have the TCP/IP protocol enabled.

Any further investigations done on this issue ?

Thanks,

 

[JTRipper]

Worked also for me

Thanks Deltafox!

 

[Brandon001]

Not working for me

Not working for me

Error: Some fields are empty or contain an improper value.

and error area is Host name or IP address * which have value .\SQLEXPRESS