Ah, it's all right. I just needed to vent a little.
Realistically, there was very little on the laptop that isn't saved to svn, mirrored on another machine, or downloadable from the net. Rebuilding the O/S would even be fun if my brain was working just a little bit better, so it's not the end of the world. Meanwhile, we've got the heating going and I even think I'm starting to feel a little better.
Sometimes a chap just needs to let off some steam Thank you to everyone for their patience and good wishes.