Can't connect to local database in SQL Server (2008) Management Studio

Question

An IT guy at work remoted into and installed SQL Server 2008 Developer on my terminal, and at first everything seemed to be set up correctly. However, when I go into the Management Studio, I can't connect. I know that it's finding the server correctly, but my windows account credentials haven't been added as an admin it seems. This seems to me to imply that when Mr. IT Guy installed it, he accidentally left his network account as the sole admin. Am I deducing this correctly?

I do have admin privelages on this computer (in Windows, not in the sql server installation apparently), and the server is installed locally, so it would seem that I should be able to override anything he did and set up my account as admin on the server. Is this possible? Or will he have to remote in and change the account permissions himself?

Thanks,
-Robert

P.S. This is not the same issue as this. Mine actually finds the server, but gives me "Login failed for user [my username]. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 18456)."

Update: The IT guy got back to me and told me it was on his end and fixed it (I believe without even remoting in somehow). Either way, it was not anything I was doing, which was my main question. Thanks for the response!

Solution

It could be that he did the proper thing and revoked rights to the BUILTIN\ADMINISTRATORS group. However, the right thing to do is in fact causing you issues. I suggest you have him remote back in and grant your login SystemAdmin role rights if that is what you should have. He could also reinstate those same rights to the BUILTIN\ADMINISTRATORS group as well, but that is not recommended.

Comments

[Justin Scott]

See this question also: How to enable remote connections for SQL Server 2008 - serverfault.com/questions/7798