If you have a backup and still have to unzip content then either you are backing up the wrong thing or your restore procedure is not right.  I have all of my content in a folder called Poser content on my E drive. Within that folder I have around 40 runtimes and I back up the main Poser Content folder.  To restore I just copy my backup to a drive and the only thing I have had to do in the past is point Poser to each runtime.  I have done this a few times now without problems and the folder has been there since Poser 6 days while growing on a weekly basis.

Don't get me wrong, I am not having a go and I have had have some manic problems with restores, enough to want not to have to do it again. I am really glad you have got it sorted but if you have backed up the data a restore really should be a lot easier than what you have had to go through.

Not at all!  These are excellent ideas now that I am using DAZ studio I will be able to do just this!  It allows for as many install places as you like for Poser content.  Thanks!  And sorry for all the "now that I am using DS" junk.  Sounds like Propaganda but it isn't meant that way.  If I could afford Posers last upgrade i would be all over it but they upgraded rather quickly but not quick enough for me to get the cheap update.  Reality makes the point moot as that is what I render with for both DS and Poser. Thanks again.