@Colorworks: Do you really need the exact date for copyright reasons? Given current laws, I’d say being able to prove you are the creator is more important. If you manage that, you have no particular reason to claim a date in the past as creation date. But I’m not a lawyer, nor do I have any formal law training…
If you really need the creation year, your best bet might be to check the old hard disk(s), if they are still readable (you didn’t say why the computer crashed).
For new works, and general storage, perhaps a NAS with multiple disks in a RAID configuration is what you need. Ideally coupled with an off-site backup, and perhaps a version control system like Git. Those allow you to follow the history of an image as well.
But if you are a professional graphics artist, I’d suggest you discuss the issues with an IT professional competent in this area. He should be able to explain the technical issues and costs related to the various possible solutions. While there are very competent people here, this is foremost a photography forum…