IMHO, the ones telling you to file BK are idiots. BK is a last resort option when creditors are closing in, getting judgements, seizing assets and garnishing wages. THATS what BK is for, to protect you from such devastating actions, that can literally put you on the street.
Now, first off, no one is saying its going to be easy, or fast. Rebuilding is a process that takes a considerable amount of time - expect 24 months minimum - MINIMUM. Yes, you will see people here report very quick results, but those are NOT the norm. Those are people that generally have only a few issues, that manage to negotiate PFDs or otherwise get removals of the derogs. They are 'the lucky few' IMO. The rest of us achieve results over time through diligence and work.
Good credit is not a "get it fixed up and go on your merry way" sort of thing. It really does require constant attention and management. Consider it a journey - a life-long journey.
Get your first secured account established ASAP. You'll get a decent score bump just by doing that. Then get a second account established. The second account will give you another bump up. I'd suggest Capital One, they are a GREAT bank to use for rebuilding. If they will only offer secured to start with thats fine. DON'T go nuts with putting up a ton of cash for each account - higher amounts do not help. $300 or so for each of the first two account is more than sufficient. After a few months of good payments reporting, apply for a second Cap One account. You should at this point, qualify for an unsecured account. Don't sweat it if they won't unsecure you secured accounts - think of them as temporary step stools to get you where you need to be, and when the time comes when you are getting unsecured accounts, close them - its that simple.
Here is the key - DON'T just keep those cards in your wallet gathering dust, putting a small charge on them every few months. You'll never get anywhere that way. Use them IN PLACE OF your debit card. Charge them right up to the limit, then pay them right back down as soon as the charges post. Do that as often as you can. The more money you cycle through them, the better. After each card hits 6 months, ask for a credit limit increase, and again at the 12 month mark.
Also you want to periodically request account upgrades - from platinum to QS, etc. I just got both of my Cap One platinum cards upgraded to Quicksilver reward cards.
Now as to your derogs - you say they are mostly from 2009 and past SOL. Thats good - let them sit until they drop from your reports in another two years. At that point you can negotiate for very low settlements if you wish to do so. You can certainly try to negotiate PFD's in the meantime, but if it was me I would not worry, I would just concentrate on building positive tradelines and when they do drop off, your scores will shoot up. The derogs you want to try to work on are the most current ones, not the older ones.
