Abstract: An apparatus and method for driving a motor with a reduced current flowing in the motor, as well as reduced vibrations of the motor at a start-up is provided. The motor driving apparatus has a position detector for detecting a position of a rotor of a brushless DC motor, a DC/AC converter for converting a DC voltage derived from a DC power supply into an AC voltage, and a controller for controlling the DC/AC converter to control the conduction of a stator winding of the motor. For a start-up of the motor, the controller positions the rotor by supplying a current to a first conduction phase of the stator winding, and then once turns off the conduction. After that, the controller controls the DC/AC converter to rotate the rotor by supplying current to a second conduction phase of the stator winding, and to start a position detecting operation after a specified time elapses since the rotor starts rotation.