I am searching for a computer that I can use for a temporary install of NPM. I found one that had the compact version of SQL. Will this work or not? Otherwise it wouldn't save much time if I still have to reinstall sql express insteadl.
No - You will need your Orion database running on SQL Server 2005 (sp1 or greater) Express, Standard or Enterprise. Orion 9.5 will also support SQL Server 2008 Express, Standard or Enterprise.
System Reqs available here: http://www.solarwinds.com/products/orion/info.aspx
