Baffling hard disk problem

[riggaz]

I have two PCs each containing an identical Maxtor SATA 120GB hard disk. I have been using both PCs successfully for 8 months. However, I now have a problem: PC#1 goes to a blue screen (with a 0x000007E error) after a few seconds of the Windows XP logo screen after booting up. I have tested the hard disk in PC#2 and it works fine. I have also removed the hard disk from PC#2 and tested it in PC#1 and this also works fine.
I would prefer not to swap the drives permanently as PC#2 is used for work and PC#1 stores music and movies.
I have tried to reinstall Windows but it does not even load from the disk. I am particularly baffled by this problem because as I have said, PC#1 works perfectly with the hard disk from PC#2.
Could you help my situation?

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Bookmark this website for the future
(0x000007E error is referenced there as 7E on the left)
http://aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

Check this MS-article
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321637&sd=RMVP

 

[riggaz]

I've already looked at these pages. The main thing is that the hard disk from PC#2 works perfectly in PC#1. Similarly, the hard disk from PC#1 works perfectly in PC#2. So I can't see it being a RAM or a graphics card issue, otherwise how come PC#2's hard disk works?

 

[PanicX]

Very odd indeed. Are both of these PC's built with the same hardware? Can you recall anything that changed before this issue appeared?

 

[riggaz]

The PCs are built with different hardware. But both PCs were bought brand new within the last 18 months and were both mid-range specifications when I bought them (Pentium 4s, 128Mb graphics, 512Mb RAM, etc). I have not made any hardware changes to either PC. The only thing that springs to mind is that on the one that has gone wrong I had been watching a DVD which I paused whilst we watched the news for 20 mins - if that makes any difference.

 

[riggaz]

Can anyone help me with this problem? It is driving me to distraction!

 

[DelJo63]

RealBlackStuff pointed you to your problem, Thread Exception is a SOFTWARE issue,
not hardware. Yes, you said the HD runs in the other PC, but for
some reason, the software is behaving differently on the box - - probably a
difference in the driver(s). When you do the swap, does Windows detect
"New hardware installed"? If so, this explains why it runs in one and NOT in the other.
It should also lead you to the device that is different, and from there you can
uninstall/reinstall the driver.