Install of SQL/MSDE not completing HELP!

I am a new user working in Windows XP, and I already have the Web Matrix installed. I am trying to download and install MSDE but I am never prompted to restart my computer. When I do restart the PC symbol w/ the green arrow appears but when I click the data connection to establish a new database it comes with an error message:

Unable to connect to database server.

SQL Server does not exist or access denied.
Connection Open (Connect()).

I'm sure I'm entering the right user name (sa) and password. Please help!!

LaurenHi Lauren,

This is a common problem, and there are serveral reasons this can happen. Are you using Windows Authentication or Mixed (SQL Server and Windows) Authentication? What does your connection string look like?

Also, did you try searching for "access denied" in this forum? There are a lot of posts on this topic.

Terri