Msde

When setting up the MSDE should you be able to connect to it ... from another machine using Sql client tools via enterprise manager...like you would connecting to machines that have sql standard editionyou have to have a port open in your windows firewall if you are doing this one a workstation. MSDE also shuts down after the last connection closes and you have to change that.|||MSDE can also be set up to not listen on any network protocol. Check the errorlog of MSDE to make sure it is listening on the network.|||By default network connections to MSDE are disabled. However, you can change that in the instance settings.

Also, as far as I know, all versions of SQL Server 2005 don't allow network connections by default as well. But yet again, that can all be changed in the configuration manager.|||we are mainly connection to sql 2000 machines...
I can connect to instantly from visual studio .net 2003 through the server explorer... but through client tools via enterprise manager its a no go...
I set up the instance with the parameter setting DISABLENETWORKPROTOCOLS=0 so that the instance can accept connections....