Password protection on ZIP files not stable

[netgazer]

The first time you create the zip file and open its contents, you are prompted to enter the password. The next time you open the zip file, it no longer prompts for the password. When you open the zip file again on a different session, password is sometimes prompted and sometimes not.
I like your FreeCommander, not only that it is free, but it is comparrable or even better than commercially available file managers I've used.

OS:
Windows XP Professional (5.1, build 2600)
Version 2002
Service Pack 2
on DELL Latitude D630 laptop.