SQLExpress Services Not Showing In Configuration Manager

Hello strange problem needs help...

When I open SQL server configuration manager / expand SQL server 2005 network configuration, I have a Protocols for SQLEXPRESS but under SQL server 2005 services branch, I cannot find a reference to my SQLEXPRESS database service. This causes a problem because, I cannot enable or disable SQLExpress.

I've tried to remove the SQLExpress instance by going to Add/Remove Programs but it doesn't work.  After I restart the computer, the entry SQLEXPRESS: database service is still there.

I cannot reinstall SQLEXPRESS either because it saids instance name already exist.

 

When I try 'net start mssql$sqlexpress' it saids "the service name is invalid"

When I try 'sqlcmd -S <my server name here>SQLEXPRESS  it saids

HResult 0x274D, Level 16, State 1
TCP Provider: No connection could be made because the target machine actively re
fused it.

Sqlcmd: Error: Microsoft SQL Native Client : An error has occurred while establi
shing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failu
re may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not
 allow remote connections..
Sqlcmd: Error: Microsoft SQL Native Client : Login timeout expired. 

I'm pulling my hair out because according to the error message above, I should use surface area configuration tool to enable remote connections but I can't even see the SQLEXPRESS entry inside the tool!!! 

HELP!! I have an asp.net app that uses Membership Provider and it used to work. but somehow it doesn't work because of this strange sqlexpress issue.

When I run the app I get the following error:
An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server.  When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: TCP Provider, error: 0 - No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.)

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server.  When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: TCP Provider, error: 0 - No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.)

Thanks, any feedback is appreciated

-beginner_needs_help