Forum Discussion
SQL Server Management Studio AND SQL Server Express Installation failure
for SMSS
"Cannot connect to localhost\sqlexpress. A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Netowrk Interfaces, error 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) (Microsoft SQL Server)"
For SQL Server 2022 Express Edition
"Oops... Unable to install SQL Server (setup.exe). Exit code (Decimal): -20618936006Error description: Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed. Check the SQL Server error log for potential causes."
I will attempt to uninstall and reinstall SQL Server because I am now aware that it will affect the ability for SMSS to connect to the server.