I just installed SQL Server Management Studio and it auto creates a server with your PC name to connect to, but it doesn't connect - all I get is this error. I tried reinstalling and also there's no server with that name in the services to start
TITLE: Connect to Server
Cannot connect to DESKTOP-7UA72F9.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 2)
It looks like you've installed Management studio only. Server doesn't come with it. Could you provide additional info on what steps you went through exactly? What install files did you use? If you're looking to play with MS SQL Server, there is an Express version, it's free.