Andrew, there are apps to recover contacts, photos and bookmarks etc... from the iTunes backup file (the Mac ones I've tried don't need to know the password). Sorry I can't recommend software for the PC but there are some. When you're done setting things up again, get a free iCloud account for next time disaster strikes.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Well done Apple for one of the worst upgrades I've done in some years

Ouch I've updated about 8 iOS devices, two 3GS's, one 4, two iPad 2, and two ipad 1, and friends, and none of them had a problem. All but one was on Win7, the other one was on XP. Sorry yours went wrong
 

Looks like as my itunes is windows based the testing is more lax, i.e. they want to absorb me into the collective

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Looks like as my itunes is windows based the testing is more lax, i.e. they want to absorb me into the collective

Resistance is futile.

Or just upgrade my second phone from an old beast to an Android

And if you go with Android you'll be able to use TB's speed tester

Like others here I ventured an update of my 3GS (once the peak in demand had settled and server connection speeds improved!) without a hitch, even if it did take ages. Then I upgraded my wife's 3GS. No major problems either, as was the case with my son's iPhone 4 and a friend's 3GS. Not a hitch anywhere. I did have a panic with my wife's 3GS when I thought I'd decimated her Contacts file when setting up iCloud for her but quickly resolved the issue by restoring from SIM (the only instance I had to do this).

I've heard lots of people moaning about the update but perhaps I/we were just lucky.

Come the day when Apple shifts all its hardware over to iOS rather than MacOS (the Lion is the biggest cat, is it not?) I assume they'll have it all sussed!

I suspect you are living in an Android dream world AEP.

Why? Samsung released an Android update yesterday.