Try ifunbox to browse the file system on the phone, you should be able to get your photos etc with that. And there's a windows version ;-)
Sorry for the delay Luca. When was the last time it was synced with itunes? If it was not very long before she had her phone stolen, when you restore it will automatically offer the last saved backup to restore from. So if she last synced 1 week before it was nicked, then it will offer that backup as a restore file. After that, you can update and sync as normal. Also, when you do get it all back again, enable "find my phone" in icloud settings as this will allow you to log into iCloud.com and use the find my phone feature to not only trace your phone, but also to disable it remotely. With iOS7 coming out in autumn it goes one step further and will allow it to only be unlocked with an apple ID rather than all that password malarky. As Anth says, there's a knack to getting it into the DFU mode, but once you're there all should be good
