How do I resolve the "Cannot Connect to Database" error message?
This feature is available in all editions.
Answer
This error indicates that the installation setup program cannot connect to the database server you specified. A common cause for this error is entering only the machine name and omitting the SQL Server instance name.
To include the instance name, use the format "[machine_name]\[instance_name]" - for example, if you're installing on a local server in which both IIS & SQL are running, and the instance name is SQLEXPRESS (the name that express uses when installing), you would use "(local)\SQLEXPRESS". If the server is a remote server, you'd use the actual machine name.