Patent ID: 7149822

Claim:
An information storage device that at least performs a write of an information file onto a recording medium in accordance with an instruction sent from a higher-level device, comprising: a determination section that determines whether the storage device is in an idle state; a component rearrangement section that rearranges components of an information file to transform the information file whose components are discontiguously stored on said recording medium into an information file whose components are stored contiguously, if said determination section determines that the storage device is in said idle state; wherein transformation is conducted independent of the higher-level device so that the higher-level device is capable of executing some processing during continuing transformation; a first switch that turns on and/or off a power supply in response to an operation; a second switch provided in parallel with said first switch that turns on and/or off the power supply in response to a control signal; and a switch controller that suspends rearrangement of the components at a time when a read or write performed on an information file subject to the rearrangement occurs, and then provides a control signal to said second switch that maintains said second switch turned on until completion of said write performed on said information file subject to the rearrangement if said first switch is turned off in response to said operation occurring prior to said completion of said write performed on said information file subject to the rearrangement.