You don't need the SQL Server Browser running if you connect to the default instance on the default port. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181087.aspx for details.

>I was wondering if you could help me understand if I should tell the customer to start SQL Server browser or not. I have read in the links you provided but still not sure. Here is what I am confused about. On my SQL Server 2005 (on my PC) I see that the SQL Server Browser is stopped and yet I can access/connect to the server (from my application) using the server name. Yet I understand that (from one of the articles) that if SQL Server Browser is not running the connection should be done via connection string and the port number. So my question is, if the customer has the SQL Server on a server PC and application on another PC, on a LAN, do you suggest to make the SQL Server Browser running?
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