Abstract: A method is provided for allocating digital processing activities of an embedded microcontroller within a disk drive between repetitive periodic digital servo loop service routines synchronized to rotation of a data storage disk of the drive and irregularly occurring host service routines supporting a high level, digital interface to a host computing environment. The new method comprises the steps of:prioritizing the host service routines into priority routines and non-priority routines,detecting calls to one of the priority routines, andbypassing execution of a predetermined number of the servo loop service routines to enable execution of the called priority routine without interruption.