Is my WD1002FAEX DOA?

Building a new system with an ASUS p8Z77-V Pro board. When I tried to install Win7 on my WD1002FAEX - it showed no allocated space or no drive at all depending on whether the BIOS was set to IDE or AHCI.

Have tried on two MBs. On the P8, the BIOS will show a drive but not identify it by name if in IDE mode. If in AHCI, it does not see the drive at al.

On another board (Asus M2N32-SLI) the BIOS can sense something is connected to the SATA port but can’t identify it and it is unavailable when the boot is completed.

I also tried the drive in a USB external dock. It does not see the drive.

Have tried multiple SATA ports on the board and tried both 6G Sata and 3G (with proper jumper).

Am I missing something or is RMA my next step?

Get a replacement from where you bought your drive. Only contact WD for RMA when you have no choice. Since all WD replacement drives will be re-certified drives. It will be equial to you paid band new price for a used HDD.