Patent ID: 7133339

Claim:
A data storage apparatus that certifies a recording medium, while waiting for a request from an exterior device, by writing dummy data in said recording medium and verifying said dummy data, while waiting for said request from an exterior device, comprising: a buffer unit that temporarily stores data provided from said exterior device; and a controller unit that receives said request from said exterior device to write said data in a designated region of said recording medium, writes said data in said designated region, determines whether said designated region has been certified, verifies, if said designated region has not been certified, said data written in said designated region, and writes, if a portion of said designated region is found to be defective, a portion of the buffered data corresponding to data written in the defective portion of said designated region, in a predetermined alternative region of said recording medium, wherein said request from said exterior device indicates whether the corresponding portion of said data needs to be written in said predetermined alternative region if said portion of said designated region is found to be defective; and said controller unit does not verify said data written in said designated region if said request indicates that said corresponding portion of said data does not need to be written in said predetermined alternative region even if said portion of said designated region is found to be defective.