Patent ID: 7116620

Claim:
An information recording/reproducing apparatus, comprising: a means for recording information onto a recording medium; a buffer memory which stores the information to be recorded onto the recording means; a controller which controls a transition of the information recording means to be able to record information onto the recording medium, wherein the controller is able to conduct a first step and a second step during a period from a time when the power supply is turned on up to a time when the information recording means enters to be in a condition of able to record the information onto the information recording medium; and a power supply which supplies electric power to the information recording means, the buffer memory, and the controller, wherein: when the information recording means is in the recordable state through conduction of the first step, an operation of storing the information to be recorded onto the recording medium into the buffer memory is started after the first step is completed, and thereafter when the information stored in the buffer means reaches up to a predetermined quantity, the information recording means starts an operation of recording the information from the buffer memory onto the information recording means; and when the information recording means is in the recordable state through conduction of the second step, on the other hand, an operation of storing the information to be recorded onto the recording medium into the buffer memory is started without waiting for the second step to be started or completed, and when the information recording means enters the recordable state and the information stored in the buffer memory reaches up to a predetermined quantity, the information recording means starts an operation to record the information from the buffer means onto the information recording means; and further comprising a switching circuit which monitors possibility of mounting and dismounting of the recording medium onto or from the information recording/reproducing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the transition of the information recording means to be able to record information onto the recording, depending upon the possibility of mounting and dismounting of the recording medium, which is monitored by the switching circuit; and when the monitoring circuit monitors the possibility that the recording medium is mounted at first, the information recording means enters into the recordable state through the first step, on the other hand, when the monitoring circuit monitors the possibility that no mounting or dismounting of the recording medium is monitored, then the information recording means enters into the recordable state thorough the second step.