By "hard reset" do you mean a full Restore? If so then it is completely erased. Rebooting, however, will not erase it.
Have you tried any troubleshooting?
Restart: Press On/Off button until the Slide to Power Off slider appears, select Slide to Power Off and, after It shuts down, press the On/Off button until the Apple logo appears.
Reset: Press the Home and On/Off buttons at the same time and hold them until the Apple logo appears (about 10-15 seconds).
Restore: Connect your iPhone to iTunes on your computer, backup, and then select Restore to Factory.
The first two will not erase the device. Only the last one does.