MS SQL 2008 Express

I downloaded and installed MS SQL 2008 Express into my new W7 Ultimate system. I also installed the SP1, which was mentioned in a info window when I installed the SQL.

After a reboot, the PC seemed to take a long time to start, then I started SQL Server Management Studio but could not login to a database.

Upon further investigation, it appears that a database was not created. If I go to the SQl Configuration Manager and select SQL Server Services, I can see that 'SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) is in a running state, and the icon is the same as the old MSDE Icon that would display down by the clock when SQL was running on XP and Vista.

On this PC, it is not down there, but I'm not sure if that's a W7 thing or not.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

THANKS

:-jon

When you use SSMS login to SQL Server,the server name is (local)\sqlexpress

THANKS! - That was it. I tried just a dot (the old symbol for local), I tried the text 'local', I tried the computer name, but I did not try that!

I wonder why it wasn't in there as a default?

Anyway, THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!

(I hope this thread helps out other fellow clueless folks who run into this issue)

:-jon

Because that's a named instance , not default instance