Windows 7: Need help restoring a backup folder

The good news is that I backup, using Windows backup and restore.

The bad news is that I deleted an older backup folder to make space.
The worse news is that I saw I deleted the wrong data folder (to make space) right after I deleted the backup folder.

The good news is that I was able to recover the old backup folder from the recycle bin.

The bad news is that now, Windows restore doesn't "see" the restored folder.

More bad news is that I can't figure out how to access the data in the zip files, which I see in the directory.
The error messages tells me the zip file is invalid, but I don't believe that since I got the files out of the recycle bin right after I deleted it.

What do I need to do to get windows to recognize this backup folder, and/or how can I open the zip files to extract the data?



I have over a years worth of work in the deleted file, so I'm desperate.
Special thanks to anyone who can help me restore my files.
WFC

Try restarting the laptop first!

This happened over a month ago, and I've tried everything I can think of to get my data back. The laptop's been restarted hundreds of times since then.

Have you tried this tutorial

I use but admit both Windows imaging & file/folder backup are not robust in auto locating backup data sets. A corruption of a small MediaID file is all that is needed.
I experimented a little and find this procedure works for me.

How to Manually Recover Windows file/folder Backups

This will retain your original directory/folder structure.

1) Right click your file/folder backup named like "JONES-PC". Select Open and choose a backup set folder eg. "Backup Set 2011-06-23 194949".
2) Double click to open the Backup Set folder. You will see a number of Backup Files folders eg. "Backup Files 2011-06-23 194949". One will be large and be the first main backup of the set. The other folders will be smaller and be subsequent incremental backups.
3) Open each "Backup files " folder and there are your backup .zip files. Start with the large "Backup file ..." folder.
4) Create a recovery folder somewhere (say a data partition or an external drive).
5) Install 7-zip so that it appears as a right click option.
6) Highlight one or more of the .zip files and right click select 7-zip.
7) Choose "Extract files...". Under "Extract to:" browse to your recovery folder.
Ensure "Path mode:" is set to "Full pathnames". Select ok.
8) Do this for all .zip files in each of the "Backup files..." folders.

That's it.

An advantage of the Windows file/folder backup is that the zip files don't form what is called a spanned set like many other backup programs so they can be individually recovered.

Thanks for the attempt MJF - I had unsuccessfully used my default, WinRar, to try to unzip, which I assumed would open any zip file.
I tried 7-Zip as you suggested and see the same result - can't open the backup zip file as archive.
I don't believe all 186 files are corrupted, but this needs some little trick to access their contents.

@ essenbe - - - Yes, I've studied the tutorial. In a more recent backup, going into the zip files works fine.

Curious. Spanned zips can be a problem but I've never can a problem opening Windows zips.

Can you give the specific error when attempting to unzip using 7-zip?

Clutching at straws - it could be an ownership issue. I copy out the zip folder first to another location.

..............

I don't know what Windows does if you delete a backup set from within "Manage Space".
I can only suggest you try another recovery approach using RECUVA and see if the zips are in tact.
You can obviously pull the data from a recent image if you have one of the partition.

Did you really have just one backup of a years worth of work