Sony HAP 1 ES and adding external Hard Drives


This is a spin off of the existing HAP 1 ES thread as it addresses a single issue. I have carefully read the reviews of the product by Kal in Stereophile and Steven Stone in The Absolute Sound.
Kal mentions that when he tried to attach an external HD, the Sony requires that the HD be re formatted, and that once this is done the HD can no longer be
used in it's original set up. Stone's review did not comment on adding external drives.
The 1 TB storage would not be enough for me, as I estimate my collection is about 3 TB, uncompressed (not including my SACDs, DVD-As, and Blu Rays, which I don't think could be stored on the Sony). I therefore would be using external HDs. I am currently digitalizing my colection but have only used a fraction of the 3 TB hard drive that is being employed for this. I don't relish the thought of wasting a HD, although I guess it is a relatively small expenditure. Has any one tried adding external HDs to this unit?
richardfinegold
Richard, I have an unused 1.5 TB HD that I bought but never used. I intend to dedicate it to the Sony. I can try to hook it up, but my guess is I will get the "reformat" command. If I can find a spare USB I will give it a go tomorrow.
Kal mentions in a footnote in his review that the drive is formatted to one of the versions of the Ext file system that is commonly used with Linux.

If you are running Windows, Paragon ExtFS for Windows appears to be a solution that would enable Windows to work with Ext file systems, and it appears to be free. If you are running a Mac, a similar program is also available, for $39.95.

Although I have no experience with this or other Paragon Software programs, at first glance it certainly appears to be worth looking into.

Regards,
-- Al
Thanks, Al.
Brownsfan, I wouldn't do that until you put some music on the external HD that you either want to transfer to the Sony, or that you want to hear played through the Sony. If I read Kal's review correctly, once you format the HD, you won't be able to add any more music to the external HD.