Failing/corrupt hard drive. Any way to keep crashing outside of hard drive to a minimum?

Implementing Strategies to Minimize System Crashes Caused by Failing Hard Drives

Dealing with a failing or corrupted hard drive can be a frustrating experience, especially when it leads to unexpected system crashes. Many users rely on external or secondary drives to store non-essential data, such as game files, with the hope that this minimizes disruption. However, even with such measures, hardware issues can still cause your entire system to become unstable or crash unexpectedly. If you’re seeking ways to reduce the frequency or severity of these crashes—particularly during periods when you’re not actively accessing or installing from the problematic drive—this article provides practical advice and strategic considerations.

Understanding the Nature of Hard Drive Failures
Hard drives can begin to fail due to various reasons, including bad sectors, mechanical wear, or manufacturing defects. As the drive deteriorates, it may intermittently cause system errors, blue screens, or freezes, especially when the operating system encounters read/write errors. While reformatting can temporarily alleviate issues, it does not address underlying hardware problems, so failures may recur until the drive is replaced.

Strategies to Minimize Crashes Triggered by Failing Drives

Limit Drive Access During Idle or Critical Tasks
One effective method is to restrict access to the failing drive when performing essential tasks that do not require data from that drive. For example:
Ensure that no background processes or scheduled scans are reading from the drive during critical activities.
Use task manager or system monitoring tools to identify and disable processes that attempt to access the drive unnecessarily.
Disable the Drive in BIOS/UEFI When Not in Use
If the drive is not needed during general system operation, you can disable it via BIOS or UEFI settings:
Enter your system’s firmware settings during boot.
Locate the drive management section.
Temporarily disable the problematic drive.
This can prevent the operating system from attempting to access a failing drive, thereby reducing crash frequency during everyday use.
Implement Operating System-Level Mounting and Access Controls
On some operating systems, you can:
Unmount or disconnect the drive at the OS level when it’s not needed.
Adjust permissions to restrict applications from accessing the drive inadvertently.
These measures help prevent system errors caused by sudden read/write attempts on a compromised drive.
Use Hardware or Software Solutions to Isolate the Drive
Consider adding hardware switches or using software tools that:
Power down or disable the drive when idle.
Prevent automatic mounting during startup until you explicitly mount it when