Patent ID: 8224467

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a first module that has first control software installed therein and that has a CPU (central processing unit) for executing the installed first control software and a first memory; and a second module connected to the first module, the second module having second control software for making the second module operate and a second memory, wherein the first module includes a memory use procedure program for making the second Memory available to the CPU of the first module and an execution memory shift program for making the first control software operate by using the second memory, the first module has a peripheral device controller that detects connection of the second module, when the connection of the second module is detected by the peripheral device controller, the CPU of the first module reads out the second control software from the second module, executes the read-out second control software, thereby making the second module operate, accesses the second memory in accordance with the memory use procedure program, and makes a change so that a program executed in the first memory will be executed in the second memory in accordance with the execution memory shift program, and the second control software includes a third control software, and the third control software is controlled by the second control software to be executed in the first memory.