I know this won't help you now..., but maybe it will help you or someone else in the future.
I had the same thing happen to me a few months ago. Lost nearly everything due to a corrupt hard drive.
I learned my lesson though... I bought an external drive for my new system. I don't use it for anything but backups. If you get a Western Digital drive, you can go to their website and download a program called Acronis True Image. It's VERY easy to use. (not trying to advertise for WD... I'm sure there are other good programs out there)
About once a week before work, I connect the portable drive (which is stored in another part of the house to improve survivability in the event of disaster) and start the program. It takes about 2 minutes to start the backup, then when I get home, I put the portable back in it's safe place.
It's still not a guarantee, but it gives me a little more peace of mind that I won't have to go through that again.
Sorry to hear about your loss. It can be pretty devastating when you have so many files and (especially) pictures that are just gone now.
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