BTW,

I also tried to setup a dsn from the box running the SQL Server that will not connect and interestingly this does not work either. I get a timeout error.
Yet I can open a dos window and ping successfully. I double checked the ports and everything is set to 1433 and any timeout entry I could find I bumped up to 300 secs. Now I'm starting to get angry! Good thing its only round 3 :)

>Our sysadmin changed the SQL Server Service to run as a Domain Account and it still does not work.
>
>In an attempt to see what should happen when a connection is made, I opened SQL Profiler and watched as I make a connection from the linked server on my workstation. I see a handfull of events all with my workstations HostName. The events begin with Audit Login and end with Audit Logout. When I try it from the SQL Server I need it to work from I get nothing, nada, gournisht! This leads me to believe that SQL Server really cannot see this server. However, I can use odbcping, ping, and termserv all succesfully.
>
>Any other thoughts?
>
>Regards,
>-Isaac
>
>>Thanks for the info Mike. This particular server is running the service under the local account. This might also explain why I can create a linked server from a different development box which is running the sql server service with a domain account.
>>
>>However this makes me wonder about an existing linked server (on the box that wont cooperate) which is connecting to a SQL Server 7 database over the public internet on an ISP shared system. I wonder if both SQL Servers are running the service as the Local System Account if it works or if there is something different about connecting to SQL Server 7?
>>
>>I'll get an account setup and make the switch when the server is available. I'll post the results.
>>
>>-Isaac
>>
>>
>>>>Can anyone suggest what else I might be missing or should look at?
>>>
>>>When using Linked Servers, it is the SQL Server service that is connecting to the remote data source. Is SQL Server running under the Local System account? If so, try a domain account.
>>>
>>>-Mike