Hi! I hope that someone can help. I was trying to play Wheel of Fortune on MSN.com, but it wouldn't load. I received a message telling me to check my Firewall settings, which were fine. I then noticed a little tower looking item with a circle in front of it on my taskbar, by the clock, that I rarely see. When I slide my mouse over it, it reads "Not Connected - \\" When I click on it, I get a drop down menu that starts with "Open SQL Server Service Manager."

 

Is the SQL Server related to the inability to connect with the game, since it doesn't usually appear on the taskbar any other time, or is it just a coincidence? Aside from the MSN game problem, and some slow loading on this message board, I am able to access the Internet.

 

Do I do anything to allow the SQL server to connect? I recently ran Adware and my virus scanner (AVAST), but I don't know if that is the cause of the connection problem.

 

Any help will be appreciated.

 

I have:

Windows XP, SP3

Avast Antivirus

Adware

My Internet connection is through a cable modem.