To prevent an outer periphery of a flexible disk from bending down due to gravity and coming in contact with the pickup or other parts of the drive mechanism in a device directly irradiating a flexible disk with laser light for recording and reproducing, when the rotating centrifugal force is not fully obtained during the stop, immediately after the start or immediately before the start of the disk rotation.

This recording and reproducing device has a means for preventing its outer periphery from bending down due to gravity during the stop using a sensor without contact with a flexible disk, and an air flow generator to blow air from a pickup side to the peripheral surface of the flexible disk. Thus, the flexible disk can be prevented from bending down due to gravity and touching the pickup and drive mechanism.