Optical disks compliant with different standards are recorded or reproduced by a single recording/reproducing apparatus by a first step of determining a substrate thickness of the disk based on a focusing error signal, when a focusing section for bringing the light beam into a focus on the disk is moved in such a way as to approach or withdraw from the recording surface of the disk; a second step of performing any one step of determining the number of recording surfaces of the disk when the focusing section is moved in such a way as to approach or withdraw from the recording surface of the disk, and determining whether or not the disk can be recorded and reproduced using a tracking error signal detected when the light beam crosses the track.