A method and apparatus for driving a non-native SATA hard disk applied in a computer is provided. The computer includes a basic input/output system (BIOS) and an operating system (OS), both of which support an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI). The non-native SATA hard disk includes a conversion interface and a parallel ATA (PATA) internal disk. First, issue an interrupt. Then, process an interrupt handle routine for detecting and saving the timing mode of the PATA internal disk. Next, load a default IDE driver. Then, report the saved timing mode. Finally, set the SATA hard disk according to the timing mode.