(This is posted in the SQL Server forum because it is more a problem with SQL Server than ASP)

I am at my wit's end trying to set up a simple test to retrieve some records from the Northwind database on SQL Server 2005 Express with ASP.NET and C#. Whenever I try to run my application, I get the following error:

ERROR: 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)

I have researched this problem, and done everything I can find online to fix it but no avail. I have gone to SQL Server Configuration Manager and enabled Named Pipes and TCP/IP. I have stopped and restarted the server. Local and Remote connections (Both TCP/IP and Named Pipes) are enabled in the Surface Area Configuration. And yet nothing works. I am totally unable to connect to the database from within my code. I've spent probably about 8 hours wracking my brain trying to figure this out; does anybody know what might be causing the problem and what could fix it?

since this is a test, I am assuming both your "app" and DB are on the same physical box...

With that said ensure the shared memory protocol is enabled via SQL Config Mgr., and in your connection string:
"Data Source=.[\NamedInstanceGoesHere];Initial Catalog=pubs;Integrated Security=SSPI;"

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