Lost all project files after git reset --hard — how to recover ?

[ashishmi8113]

Description

I encountered an issue where all files in my JavaScript project folder (D:\JavaScript_Repo) were deleted after running: git reset --hard

I was trying to fix some line ending warnings (LF will be replaced by CRLF), and ran git reset --hard to clear changes. But it seems to have removed all my project files (not just untracked ones).

What I Did

1. Cloned repo using Git Bash/PowerShell.
2. Installed node_modules.
3. Got repeated warnings like: warning: LF will be replaced by CRLF the next time Git touches it
4. Ran git config --global core.autocrlf true
5. Then ran: git reset --hard

But after that, most of my files and folders were deleted, including node_modules, src, etc.

🔍 What I’ve Tried

• I checked git reflog — but couldn't recover untracked files.
• Using PhotoRec now, but it’s hard to recover the exact folder structure.
• I want a safer or Git-based method if available.

❓ What I Need Help With

• Is there any way to recover the files removed by git reset --hard?
• Can GitHub/Git help in recovering untracked but deleted files?
• What are the safest practices to avoid this kind of loss in the future?

🧠 Additional Info

• Windows 10
• Local repo, not published on GitHub yet
• Files were not committed before deletion

🙏 I’d really appreciate guidance on recovery options (Git or non-Git) — this is a serious project loss for me.

[cgsecurity]

You can try

• TestDisk, Advanced, Undelete.
  Be careful to store the recovered files on another partition than the source partition.
• "git fsck --lost-found" and check files in .git/lost-found/
• "git reflog show" followed by a "git reset XXXX" where XXX is the commit you want