Use a Sandbox: Run old executables in a virtual machine or a sandbox environment like DOSBox to protect your primary operating system.
Anti-Virus Evasion: Sometimes, old software contains code that modern antivirus programs flag as "false positives." Encrypting the file prevents the server’s automated scanners from deleting the archive.
You might wonder why a curator would password-protect files that are essentially decades old. There are three primary reasons: