Patent ID: 7440376

Claim:
An operation condition setting system, having plural kinds of recording media, and plural kinds of drive devices setting an operating condition for an optical system to make the operating condition suitable for each of the plural kinds of recording media, wherein each of said recording media comprises: a specific read only area respectively storing plural pieces of first operating condition information for the optical system, which cannot be known by said drive devices as the recording medium is new to the drive devices, and which are suitable for the recording medium new to the drive devices, wherein each of said drive devices comprises: storage means respectively storing plural pieces of second operating condition information for the optical system suitable for the recording media of kinds known to the drive device; discrimination means, in the case where said second operating condition information suitable for one of said plural kinds of recording media loaded into the drive device is stored in said storage means, discriminating the loaded recording medium as one of said known kinds of recording media, and in the case where said second operating condition information suitable for one of said plural kinds of recording media loaded into the drive devices is not stored in said storage means, discriminating the loaded recording medium as said new kind of recording medium; and control means, in the case where the loaded recording medium is discriminated as one of said known kinds of recording media, setting the operating condition for said optical system using the second operating condition information, and in the case where the loaded recording medium is discriminated as said new kind of recording medium, reading said first operating condition information suitable for the drive device from said specific read only area in the new kind of recording medium, and setting the operating condition for said optical system using the first operating condition information.