Patent ID: 7050190

Claim:
An information-processing apparatus comprising: storage means for storing application programs and data files; calculating means for activating an application program stored in said storage means to carry out predetermined processing; media drive means for recording and playing back information into and from an external recording medium, said media drive means including an application program; and control means for controlling said media-drive means and said storage means when said external recording medium for recording an application program is mounted on said media drive means, wherein, when said storage means includes a remaining free storage area with a size large enough for accommodating said application program in said external recording medium, said application program in said external recording medium is installed in said storage means, but when said storage means includes a remaining free storage area with a size not large enough for accommodating said application program in said external recording medium, an application program and/or a data file stored in said storage means is saved to said external recording medium in order to allocate enough free storage area in said storage means to accommodate said application program recorded in said external recording medium, and said application program in said external recording medium is installed in said storage means once there is enough free storage area in said storage means to accommodate said application program.