To enable an access process at high speed by controlling a thread- moving means at an access halt period when a tracking servo is stopped after one access to a recording medium is finished so that a thread is moved to a position where an address to be accessed next by a pickup is included within a limit at the side of an inner circumference of a visual range.

When a read/write access to a miniature disk is finished and a tracking servo is to be stopped, a microcontroller stores an address of a trace track at the time to a memory. Thereafter, a thread is moved so that an address to be accessed next comes to the vicinity of a limit of a visual range at the side of an inner circumference of the disk. When an access to the disk is started then, a position to be accessed of the disk is present at the limit point at the side of the inner circumference of the disk within the visual range of an objective lens, and therefore the access is carried out by jumping of tracks.