Cannot open SQL Server database
<p>I downloaded SQL Server 2016 Express and Visual Studio 2015.</p>

<p>I get this message when I try to open SQL Server is my Visual Studio program. </p>

<blockquote>
  <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: Named
  Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>My code is</p>

<pre><code>//  _ConnectionString = "Server = ARKY/SQLExpress; Database = Tracker; User Id = Track;Password =Track;Trusted_Connection=True;";
_ConnectionString = "Server = ARKY/SQLExpress; Database = Tracker;Trusted_Connection=True;Connect Timeout=10";

SqlConnection myConnection = new SqlConnection(_ConnectionString);

try
{
    myConnection.Open();
    return "";
}
catch (Exception e)
{
    return e.Message + " " + _ConnectionString;
}
</code></pre>

<p>I tried my different connection strings. This is one example. </p>

<p><code>ARKY</code> is the name of my computer and <code>SQLEXPRESS</code> is my named instance. </p>

<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBtMI.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBtMI.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>See the screen shot of my SQL Server database. I will appreciate any suggestions. </p>