Patent ID: 7477582

Claim:
A disk apparatus comprising: a kind discrimination unit for discriminating the kind of a loaded disk; a designation unit by which a user designates a priority order for discriminating the kind of the loaded disk; and a frequency of use of storage unit for counting and storing a frequency of use of each kind of disks used in the past, wherein the kind discrimination unit is adapted to discriminate when the frequency of use of each kind of disk stored in the frequency of use storage unit exceeds a difference in frequency of use of each kind of disk, which constitutes a reference level set in advance and indicating a predetermined tendency of use, the kind of the disk loaded in accordance with the priority order according to the tendency of use thereof, discriminate when the tendency of use is not higher than the difference in frequency of use of each kind of disk, which constitutes the reference level the kind of the loaded disk in accordance with the priority order designated by the designation unit, discriminate when the priority order is not designated by the designation unit the kind of the loaded disk by an automatic discrimination function for automatically discriminating the kind of the disk in accordance with a predetermined order set in advance, and discriminate for a subsequent predetermined period of time when the priority order is designated by the user by using the designation unit the kind of the loaded disk in accordance with the priority order designated by the user.