Error message when you try to open a company in Accounting Professional, Accounting Express, or in Small Business Accounting 2006: "SQL Server does not exist, the service is stopped, or access is denied"

You may receive an error message when you try to open a company in the following programs:

• Microsoft Office Accounting Professional
• Microsoft Office Accounting Express
• Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006

You receive the following error message when you try to open the company:

This problem may occur when one of the following conditions is true:

• Users are not logged on as administrators. See Resolution 1 in the "Resolution" section.
• In Small Business Accounting 2006, the MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ service is stopped. Or, the MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ service is stopped in Accounting Professional and in Accounting Express. See Resolution 2 in the "Resolution" section.
• TCP/IP and named pipes are not enabled. See Resolution 3 in the "Resolution" section.
• You have to enable the port on the client computer. See Resolution 4 in the "Resolution" section.
• An instance other than the MSSMLBIZ instance for Accounting Professional or for Accounting Express is installed on the computer. Accounting Professional or Accounting Express is not connected to this instance. See Resolution 5 in the "Resolution" section.

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods.

Resolution 1: Log on as an administrator

1. Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\system32\compmgmt.msc /s, and then click OK.
2. In the Computer Management window, expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Users.
3. Verify that there is a user account created for you and that the account is a member of the Administrators group.
4. Click Start, click Log Off, and then log on with the user account that is a member of the Administrators group.

Resolution 2: Start the appropriate service

The MICROSOFTSMLBIZ instance is the instance of Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) that is installed with Small Business Accounting. The MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ instance is the instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express that is installed with Accounting Professional and with Accounting Express. To start the service, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
2. Use the appropriate method:
   • For Small Business Accounting 2006, right-click MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ in the Services dialog box, and then click Properties.
   • For Accounting Professional and for Accounting Express, right-click MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ in the Services dialog box, and then click Properties.
3. In the MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ Properties dialog box or in the MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ Properties dialog box, click the General tab.
4. In the Startup Type field, click Automatic.
5. Click Start to start the MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ service or the MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ service.

Resolution 3: Enable TCP/IP and named pipes

1. Click Start, click Run, type svrnetcn.exe, and then click OK.
2. In the SQL Server Network Utility dialog box, click the General tab.
3. Use the appropriate method:
   • For Small Business Accounting 2006, click MICROSOFTSMLBIZ in the Instance(s) on this server field.
   • For Accounting Professional and for Accounting Express, click MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ in the Instance(s) on this server field.
4. In the Disabled protocols box, select Named Pipes and TCP/IP, and then click Enable.
5. Click TCP/IP, and then click Properties.
6. Use the appropriate method:
   • For Small Business Accounting 2006, type 56183 in the Default port field, click OK, and then click Apply.
   • For Accounting Professional and for Accounting Express, type 5356 in the Default port field, click OK, and then click Apply.
7. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
8. In the Services window, right-click MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ or MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ, and then click Stop.
9. In the Services window, right-click MSSQL$MICROSOFTSMLBIZ or MSSQL$MSSMLBIZ, and then click Start.

Resolution 4: Enable the port on the client computer

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Windows Firewall.
2. In the Windows Firewall dialog box, click the Exceptions tab, and then click the Ports button.
3. Use the appropriate method:
   • For Small Business Accounting 2006, type the description of the port in the Add a Port dialog box. In the Port number box, type 56183, and then click OK.
   • For Accounting Professional and for Accounting Express, type the description of the port in the Add a Port dialog box. In the Port number box, type 5356, and then click OK.
4. Click OK in the Windows Firewall dialog box.

Resolution 5

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office, point to Microsoft Office Accounting <year> Tools, and then click Data Tools.
2. In the Microsoft Office Accounting Data Utilities dialog box, click the Settings tab.
3. Change the instance name to the name that is used in Resolution 2.
4. Click Apply, and then click Close.
5. Start Accounting Professional or Accounting Express, and then open the company file.