Before a server installation is complete, SQL Server Setup starts and connects to the server. When the installation is complete, you can test the installation yourself and connect to it locally by running the osql utility from the server.
To test an installation of SQL Server 2000 (Command Prompt)
net start mssqlserver
osql /Usa /P<administrator password>
If osql connects, this osql prompt appears:
1>
If osql cannot connect, an ODBC error is returned.
SELECT @@SERVERNAME
GO
The osql utility returns the server name, as shown in this example:
1> SELECT @@SERVERNAME
2> GO
-------------------------------
WOLFHOUND
(1 row affected)
1>
SELECT @@VERSION
GO
The osql utility returns the version information.
exit