Patent ID: 8046756

Claim:
An apparatus capable of executing a plurality of functions, comprising: a first storage unit configured to store a plurality of programs corresponding respectively to a plurality of functions; a second storage unit different from the first storage unit and configured to store a first program to be preferentially loaded into a memory for implementing the first program, among the plurality of programs, the memory being different from the first storage unit and the second storage unit; a first load control unit configured to preferentially load the first program stored in said second storage unit into the memory; a second load control unit configured to load a second program stored in said first storage unit which differs from the first program stored in said second storage unit into the memory, after the first load control unit preferentially loads the first program stored in said second storage unit into the memory; and a change unit configured to replace the first program stored in said second storage unit with another program different from the first program and stored in said first storage unit, so that the another program is next to be preferentially loaded into the memory by the first load control unit instead of the first program, wherein the second storage unit is configured to operate faster than the first storage unit, wherein the second storage unit is configured to store the first program to be preferentially loaded at power on of the apparatus into the memory for implementing the first program, among the plurality of programs, wherein the first load control unit is configured to preferentially load the first program stored in said second storage unit into the memory upon powering on the apparatus, wherein the apparatus further comprises a determining unit configured to determine that the another program different from the first program is selected for execution at a time of receiving an instruction to turn off power to the apparatus, and to consequently determine that the another program is to be preferentially loaded at next power on of the apparatus into the memory instead of the first program, and wherein said change unit is configured to replace the first program stored in said second storage unit with the another program, which is stored in said first storage unit, so that the another program is preferentially loaded at next power on of the apparatus into the memory by the first load control unit instead of the first program.