>>>One thing I know for sure is this will never happen again, and then I won't have to worry about such decisions. There are going to be multiple forms of backup, including DVDs (Ghost) and offsite storage in the event of fire or burglary.
>>
>>There are only 2 types of people:
>>
>>- True Believers in backup
>>- Those who are about to become True Believers
>>
>>;-)
>
>The disappointing part is I already was a true believer, running an automated backup program every night. What I have learned is my approach was not sophisticated enough, with enough layers of redundancy.
>
>All I want to do is use the PC, not have an extra hat on my desk to play security administrator all the time. Sadly, no longer possible.

I have a very simple approach. I use an external USB Seagate drive once a week for backups. I use Acronis for that. Incremental backups each week, with a full backup once a month. The only time the backup drive is connected is when I'm backing up. I only do that when I'm not connected to the internet, I've just run a full AVG scan and rebooted. It's not perfect, but it seems to work pretty well so far. I also store work-related files on a server at a remote location, so there is redundancy there.

I haven't read the entire thread, but have you looked into any recovery services or utilities?