Hi @mini_pig,
I understand how frustrating it must be. To narrow this down, could you let me know which OS and InDesign version you're working with on both machines and if you see any error message when trying to open the file? It would also help to confirm if the images are linked correctly on the second system or if they're missing paths. As a quick test, please try packaging the file (File > Package) on the first PC and then transfer the packaged folder to the new one to see if that resolves the issue. If possible, a short screen recording of what happens when you try to open the file would also be useful for checking this further.
Looking forward to your update.
Abhishek