Nexus 7 Won't Pass Initial Boot

[jD529]

Yesterday I got a Nexus 7, but I haven't been able to use it yet. After letting it charge for a while, I hold the power button to boot, followed by a white Google logo on a black screen. After roughly 16 seconds, the screen goes blank and repeats the process. I am able to access the menu that shows the Android on it's back, with the body open with blue buttons. There is no red triangle.

From here, I can select start and it again shows the Google logo - but just hangs there. No difference after minutes of waiting. Same results for Recovery Mode. If the device is plugged in via USB to a charger / computer, the Nexus freezes when reaching the menu, after which I am forced to reboot the device.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

 

[Avenger]

Does the lettering say it is unlocked? Maybe someone did a botched firmware install? I'd check XDA Developers and attempt to use the toolkit to restore the stock rom and CWM/TWRP recovery to get a custom rom.