I was using the 6 month trial on SQL 2008 and had to create the same database in SQL Express 2008. Both are identical with the same user ID and password to get into that database for both. When I set the default connection to SQL 2008 and start my application the log in appears instantly. When I set the default connection to SQL Express when I start the app there is a 60 second delay and then the Connect Manager appears. I simply SELECT the default connect of SQL Express and the login instantly appears. What can be going on? It is almost as though the delay is some kind of a timeout in relation to SQL EXpress that then causes the Connect Manager to appear. I am running the latest version of StrataFrame

I did as you suggested:

Go back to your program.cs and open the SetDataSources method. Instead of calling SetConnections, manually specify the connection string just as you try and diagnose what is going on here. This way you are not relying on the ConnectionStringWizard, but have hard coded the connection string.

This still timed out as it did before and brought up the ShowConnections. Then I added Connect Timeout=100 to the connection string and then it did not timeout and the ShowConnections did not appear and the log in dialog to the app appeared as needed. The default for timeout on SQL Express is 30 which isn't always enough.

When I looked at the debug file to see what happens first shows:

Command #:  1 
Timestamp:  2012-02-08 13:27:55.427 
General Command Settings 
Command Type:  Text 
Object Type:  System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand 
Connection String:  server=RROOKER-HP;integrated security=SSPI;database=Auxiliary; 
Transaction:  False 
Command Settings 
CommandText:  SELECT * FROM [dbo].[SFSPreferences] 
Command Parameters 
N/A  No parameters are defined 

Then I deleted the 2 Connection files under All Users and tried as you suggested and since at that point there is no way to add a connection timeout in the Connection Wizard, it defaults back to 30 and I have the same problem. So for now I think I am stuck with overriding the connection.