sounds like windows firewall to me.
you can prove it real quick by simply turning off windows firewall, and trying to connect from another machine.
the right thing to do after that, is to add a specific exception for port 1433(assuming you are using the default port/only instance?)
1.Go to the control panel and open windows firewall.
2.click on the Advanced Setttings Link; you might get prompted with the UAC security prompt.
3.Make sure the Inbound rules item is selected,a nd way over on the right, click new rule.
4.Choose a rule type of Port and click next.
5.Put 1433 in the port box. make sure TCP is selected.
for reference, bcause i have four instances on my machine, i have four ports open:
1433,12008,12012,12014 which is for my default instance, a SQL 2008R2, a SQL2012 and a SQL2014; i just mad esure those isntnaces listen to a static port instead of dynamic.
6. The rest is all down hill, with nothing to really note; press next...Next .next until you are prompted to give it a name.
7. At the Namingof Rule Prompt,give it a meaningful description like "SQL Server External Access" or something and hit save.
Lowell
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