I am sure there is a simple fix to this.
I have created an application that access SQL server 2008 r2 express. However if SSMS is not open the app cannot connect to SQL Server.
I have checked to make sure the service is running. It is.
I ran the application without opening SSMS --- failed to connect
I opened SSMS and ran th application --------- Connected
I closed out SSMS and ran the application ---- failed to connect
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