A method, medium, and apparatus protecting a portable device protecting a HDD by instituting different protection mechanisms to an information processing apparatus based on a portable state/non-portable state of the portable device. The protecting of the HDD may include detecting whether the portable device is carried, detecting a movement of the portable device, comparing by applying a different critical value, based on whether the portable device is carried, in judging whether to unload the HDD through a comparison of the degree of movement of the portable device with a critical value, and performing an unload of the HDD based on results of the comparison. The method for protecting a HDD of a portable device efficiently protects the HDD and guarantees an optimized performance of the portable device by protecting the HDD by instituting different mechanisms depending on a portable/non-portable state of the portable device.