title: SQL Server 2005 Remote Connection ( Over Internet )
body: <ol>
  <li><p>I have installed SQL Server 2005 in mixed mode.</p></li>
  <li><p>I am able to connect to Database "locally" i.e. 
  (Server-name/Instance or internal-ip/Instance) using both kinds of Authentication.</p></li>
  <li><p>I have configured SQL Server for remote connection by following below steps</p>
  
  <p>Steps:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Enable remote connections on the instance of SQL Server that you want to connect to from a remote computer.</li>
  <li>Turn on the SQL Server Browser service.</li>
  <li>Configure the firewall to allow network traffic that is related to SQL Server and to the SQL Server Browser service. Ref: <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914277#method3" rel="nofollow">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914277#method3</a></li>
  </ul></li>
  <li><p>In addition, I have turned off my firewall.</p></li>
  <li><p>I am able to ping my computer through the External IP.</p></li>
  <li><p>But when it comes to connecting to sql server, its giving the error. </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>"TITLE: Connect to Server</p>
    
    <p>Cannot connect to &lt;ip address&gt;\SQLEXPRESS.</p>
    
    <p>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:</p>
    
    <p>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: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: -1)</p>
    
    <p>For help, click: <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&amp;EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&amp;EvtID=-1&amp;LinkId=20476" rel="nofollow">http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&amp;EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&amp;EvtID=-1&amp;LinkId=20476</a></p>
  </blockquote></li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Please help me,
  I have referred many article and tested all possible solution, but nothing seems to be working for me.</p>