There is a dirty bit indicating the disk was not ejected properly. It stays there until you use the “scan and fix” action. It doesn’t indicate corruption directly.

You can also use the sync command to flush cached writes and wait for completion, but I agree that it is a bit cumbersome.

New Technology File System

You can build a smaller form factor, like mini or micro ATX, but you might have a harder time to switch motherboards.

Embrace the ban. Never look back.