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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-24T17:38:20+00:00

Disclaimer: I understand the question is very basic, but I could not find the

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Disclaimer: I understand the question is very basic, but I could not find the answer in Google or here, and can not do it myself with guessed configuration.

I want to get started with LINQPad and I have a SQL Server 2005 installed on different machine in the same domain. But I can not connect to that server from LINQPad.

Here is the screenshot:
Fail to connect

What do I put as a Server string?

Many thanks in advance!

Update 1: SERVERNAME\MSSQLSERVER does make a difference. Instead of Error

26 (Can not find server instance)

I get error

25 (Connection string is not correct)

I have tried 2 different SQL Servers: SQL 2005 on production server and Sql Server 2008 R2 on local machine, I have tried windows authentication and SQL authentication. And it makes no difference.
But I can connect to both server (2005 and 2008) with MS SQL Server Management Studio with Windows and SQL server authentication. And it’s not SQL Server permission issue – I have tried SA user to connect. It works with , but not with LINQPad.

Any advice? Is there a setting on SQL Server I need to change?

Update 2: I found the solution to the problem.
Into Server field I had to put SERVERNAME\ without specifying SQLEXPRESS or MSSQLSERVER.
Not very intuitive =(

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I found the solution to the problem.
    Into Server field I had to put “SERVERNAME\” without any SQLEXPRESS or MSSQLSERVER.
    Also as pointed out by @sgmoore, I could just type “LOCALHOST” or “SERVERNAME” and it connected.
    Apparently this is SQL Server feature/bug, nothing to do with LINQPad.

    UPD You can also use “.” to denote “localhost”
    enter image description here

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