An optical disk drive which reduces the number of motors used for drive operation is thereby simplified while shock resistance, vibration resistance, and productivity are improved. A turntable, a first motor for turntable drive, an optical pickup and drive mechanism, are provided on a drive base and a separate traverse base that floats on the drive base. A loading drive mechanism drives a disk loading mechanism. A second motor can be driven in forward and reverse to supply drive power to the loading drive mechanism and a pickup drive mechanism. A drive power transfer path switching mechanism is used to switch the path through which drive power from the second motor is transferred to supply power to the loading drive mechanism and pickup drive mechanism. By continuously driving the second motor in one direction, moving the optical pickup, raising or lowering the turntable, and transporting a disk can be accomplished in this sequence substantially continuously; by reversing the direction of motor drive, these operations can be accomplished substantially continuously in reverse direction in reverse sequence.