Fix SQL Server connection problems If you are a developer experiencing “Connect to Server” errors using SQL Server Management Studio on your local machine or development box, consult the ...

Learn how to install and configure SQL Server Management Studio, download a SQL Server, and connect them on a Windows 11/10/Server computer..

If the server is a Windows-based machine, begin the IP address or hostname with the "smb://" prefix. Click on the "Connect" button to initiate a connection.

Information in this article applies to Microsoft SQL Server 2012. The instructions for earlier versions of SQL Server, including versions 2008 and 2005, are similar.

"After installing this update, apps that use ODBC connections through Microsoft ODBC SQL Server Driver (sqlsrv32.dll) to access databases might not connect," Microsoft said.