2nd WD Expander drive died--these are crap--way to format another drive?

I have a Tivo series 3. I originally purchased a WD Expander drive. It died soon after and I put up with not having a lot of storage space for several years. I bought another WD Expander drive and it died also not too long later.

These drives are obviously pieces of junk. Does anyone know how to turn a regular external hard drive (from another brand) into a Tivo expander drive? I'm looking to get an expander drive that will last a few years.