Make a TINY Bootable recovery USB Flash drive. 16 GIG or larger such as the SANDISK CRUIZER FIT
If the drive totally dies you can reinstall / recover onto a brand new drive. The only limitation is that it must be AT LEAST As large or Larger drive to recover to.
SanDisk Cruzer Fit 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive ... - Micro Center $14
www.microcenter.com/.../Cruzer_Fit_16GB_USB_20_Flash_Drive_SDCZ33-016G-B35