Newly aquired, old, non-booting PC project. Where to start?

[Computer_Commando]

1 - Where can I find a user manual for this AOpen AX63 Pro motherboard? I've searched the AOpen site and googled with no joy?

2- I have a problem with the Award BIOS in the optical drives configuration. In the settings it gives the command option for "change value" as PD/PU/+/-. exactly what key am I suppose to hit to accomplish this change. I don't understand what it's requesting.

3-  I have installed 2-256Mb PC133 SDRAM modules and 1-128Mb PC133 module. Everest Home shows all 3 modules As active but the total physical memory is only 383mb, I tried swapping memory modules with known good modules but I still can't get it to acklowdege more than this. If my sesearch is correct, this MB should support 1.25 G. What to try now?

Thanks, Mike

1-  http://usa.aopen.com/userdownload_List.aspx?RecNo=3523&Model=203
2- PageUp or PageDown or + or - keys
3- Probably only supports single density, not double density SDRAM;  my Asus P3B-F mobo is almost identical to your AOpen & does the same thing.

[Salmon Trout]

PD/PU/+/-. exactly what key am I suppose to hit to accomplish this change. I don't understand what it's requesting.

Use the up/down arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired drive. Then use the following keys to move that drive in the required place in the list

PD Page Down
PU Page Up
+  Numeric keypad plus
-   Numeric keypad minus

[lectrocrew]

Update: I found a fan for the P3 heatsink and I cleaned the CPU/heatsink contact surfaces and applied thermal compound and now the P3 is working fine.

1-  http://usa.aopen.com/userdownload_List.aspx?RecNo=3523&Model=203
2- PageUp or PageDown or + or - keys
3- Probably only supports single density, not double density SDRAM;  my Asus P3B-F mobo is almost identical to your AOpen & does the same thing.

1- I had some trouble with the link but I finally found it. Thanks!
2- My brain fart.  I haven't worked in a BIOS lately.
3- The Manual says it "supports SDRAM only"(Pg 18). "DIMM can be single side or double side"(Pg 19). Is that the same as single density / double density?
 I was planning to buy 3 of these 512Mb modules. Will they work?

Wow, this is certainly an overclockers motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R mboard I put in the big PC I built (in specs) is also, but I never overclocked it because I don't know how and didn't want to screw up such an expensive build. I won't mind learning with this one so this thread may get longer.   

[lectrocrew]

Use the up/down arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired drive. Then use the following keys to move that drive in the required place in the list

PD Page Down
PU Page Up
+  Numeric keypad plus
-   Numeric keypad minus

Thanks! 

[Computer_Commando]

...3- The Manual says it "supports SDRAM only"(Pg 18). "DIMM can be single side or double side"(Pg 19). Is that the same as single density / double density?
 I was planning to buy 3 of these 512Mb modules. Will they work?
Wow, this is certainly an overclockers motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R mboard I put in the big PC I built (in specs) is also, but I never overclocked it because I don't know how and didn't want to screw up such an expensive build...

I've seen single-sided as double-density & double-sided as single-density, so it's nearly impossible to tell if it will work.  The biggest single-density one I have is double-sided and is 256MB.  When they wrote the manual, 128MB was likely the largest.
Overclocking was very common on the early P3's because there's really no difference among 500, 600, 650, 700MHz, etc.  They determined the speed solely through testing, they all came off the same line at the same time.  I've had mine overclocked for more than 5 years with no issues at all.