Cannot connect to localhost

If I try to connect to localhost in the connection manager I get the error

"Test connection failed because of an error in initialising provider. Login timeout expired."

If I try to connect using server/instance in the connection mananger however, it connects just fine.

Any ideas?

Gary

hi Gary,

if you installed a named instance as it seems (server\Instance) you will not be able to just use "localhost".. you have to provide the full instance name, thus ServerName\InstanceName or "(Local)\InstanceName" or whatever... but the instancename must be provided as well..

regards