null field in ssms 2008 startup page's 'server name'

Hi, I hope this is the right place to ask... i've succesfully installed the ssms express using a good guide (learnvisualstudio.net) at the opening page "connect to server" window the 'server name' field is blank, as opposed to having something in it in the tutorial (WIN-8E1CG.... something like that).
i've tried copying the above string but it failed, with same message after trying (local):
TITLE: Connect to Server ------------------------------ Cannot connect to (local). ------------------------------ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server) (Microsoft SQL Server, E ...