The Intel(R) Storage Middleware Service service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 1 time(s).

 The Intel(R) Storage Middleware Service service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 1 time(s). system freeze

Yes, this service terminating unexpectedly is a known cause of system freezes and crashes. 

The Intel(R) Storage Middleware Service (also known as RstMwService.exe) acts as a bridge between your storage drivers and the management interface. When it fails, it can cause the following stability issues: 

Complete System Hangs: The crash can interfere with the storage controller's communication with your drives, causing the entire OS to stop responding.

Latency Spikes: Systems using the Intel RST VMD driver (like yours shown in Device Manager) can experience significant latency spikes and brief freezes, especially if there is a version mismatch.

Sleep/Wake Failures: The service is known to crash specifically when the computer attempts to enter or wake from sleep mode.

100% Disk Usage: A malfunctioning storage service can cause SSD usage to spike to 100% while transfer rates drop to zero, effectively locking the system. 

Why it is happening

This error often occurs because of a conflict between the Intel RST VMD Controller driver and the middleware software. Since your Device Manager shows the VMD Controller is active, the middleware service is constantly trying to monitor your drives, even if you don't actually use RAID or Optane acceleration.

How to Fix the Freezes

Uninstall the App: Click the three dots next to Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Application and select Uninstall.

The "Clean" Fix

If you want to remove the source of the crash entirely:

Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.

Look for Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management.

Uninstall it.

Here is the fastest way to stop the freezes:

1. Disable the Hidden Service

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Go to the Services tab (the last icon on the left).

and find RstMwService.exe

to remove this 

Open Device Manager:

Expand Storage controllers

If you see:

Intel(R) SATA RAID Controller

Intel RST VMD Controller

Right-click → Uninstall device

✔ Tick Delete driver software

Why this is safe: This is just the "management" app. Your core storage drivers are separate and will remain active, so your Windows will still boot and run normally.

Restart your PC: This clears the crashed service from memory and stops the "terminated unexpectedly" errors.

Why this happens

This specific application is a known culprit for system hangs on Windows 11. It tries to "talk" to your storage controller (the VMD Controller we saw in Device Manager) using that middleware service. If the communication drops for even a second, it can lock up the entire OS.

Once uninstalled, the RstMwService will be gone from your Task Manager, and the freezes should stop.