ESP-WROOM-32 ESP32 ESP-32S Development Board 2.4GHz Dual-Mode WiFi + Bluetooth Dual Cores Microcontroller Processor Integrated with Antenna RF AMP Filter AP STA Compatible with Arduino IDE (3PCS)

ESP-WROOM-32 ESP32 ESP-32S... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D5ZD528?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share This is the board I have. I was able to upload a small led on/off program that verifies I’m using the correct com port and it work w my cable. I also held boot while plugging it in. And tried a few times holding boot for longer/shorter periods.

You can run a web server off an ESP-32. It might be fun to get a few to play with. They’re really cheap and you’ll learn skills that are more relevant to the current state of the art. But yeah that old tower should be fine. Visit Distrowatch and match up the hardware you’ve got.