How to read external USB hard drive formatted ext3 from Windows 7?

I had to format a USB hard drive to ext3 to use it with a Linksys nas box. Now I can't read the hd when I unplug it from the nas and plug it directly into my Windows 7 computer. (The computer accesses the nas over a wireless connection, so I like to plug the hd directly into my pc when transferring large files.)

How can I leave the hd formatted with ext3 and yet be able to access it (read/write) when I plug it directly into my pc?

Solution 1:

You can try Ext2 IFS for Windows, which may require a bit of tweaking on 7. Another option is to use Cooperative Linux within Windows itself to access the volumes.

Solution 2:

EXT2FSD works great for me on Windows 7 X64. http://www.ext2fsd.com/

Solution 3:

I would recommend using Total Commander with DiskInternals Reader Plugin! Easy and powerful! (Note: Read only access)

1. Install Total Commander

2. Download the DiskInternals zip and unzip to a directory

3. Install the file system plugin:

   a. Unzip the plugin to a directory of your choice.

   b. In Totalcmd, choose Configuration - Options - Operation - Plugins

   c. Click on "Configure" for .WDX

   d. Click Add and choose the .wfx file of that plugin and click OK

4. Enter the usb and on Total Commander navigate to Network Neighborhood

5. Select [DiskInternals reader] and then navigate to the directory you need to read/copy/extract