think of it as a zipfile for audio.
http://flac.sourceforge.net/

concernign the external drives with enclosures.
I would check the warranty.
I purchased one and the warranty was only 1 year while comparable drives from the same man. were 3 years. the drive was sealed inside the enclosure also. I think this was WD as I returned the unit and bought another internal drive.

hth

randy

Axiom M80, Ep600, Qs8, VP150, Crown XLI 2500 , DBX Driverack PA2, Focusrite Scarlet 2i4