Patent ID: 7404191

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: an external device connection unit configured to connect an external device; a first driver storage unit configured to store a first driver to control the connected external device in a general-purpose manner; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a second driver to control the connected external device in a device-specific manner exists in the external device; an acquisition unit configured to, if said determination unit determines that the second driver exists, obtain the second driver from the connected external device; and an image data storage unit configured to store image data, wherein said image data storage unit is a volatile storage unit; a controller for controlling a storage operation of said second driver, wherein said controller assigns a vacant area in said image data storage unit to a new second driver to be stored, and if there is no vacant area in said image data storage unit, upon a reception of an instruction from an operator of said information processing apparatus to delete said second driver already stored in said image data storage unit, said controller deletes said second driver selected by the operator from the image data storage unit; a third storage unit configured to store information on the existence/absence of the second driver in the connected external device; and a update unit configured to update the information, wherein said determination unit determines the existence/absence of the second driver to control the connected external device in the device-specific manner in the connected external device, based on the updated information stored in said third storage unit.