Why does Windows (especially Explorer) slow down noticeable after a few weeks of staying on or put on sleep mode every night, but then goes back to normal speed after rebooting? I wonder if this happens on Linux and Mac or if it's just a Windows problem. Windows Explorer especially seems to slow down, so noticeable that when I open a folder, it can take a couple seconds or more to actually open compared to almost instantly after rebooting. Some folders seem slower than others but they all seem to open slower compared to after a reboot. Is it a software or hardware problem? What do you think could reduce this slow down? It would be nice for Windows to be faster for longer.
Memory fragmentation shouldn't be so much of an issue in desktop/laptops computers honestly. This is more of an issue within the embedded devices (this is from where I got to know this). Still your case reminds me strongly of this. With that being said I have no way to know for real. What specs pc are we talking about? How much ram what cpu motherboard etc? Also why do you need to have it on for weeks at a time? Home server of sorts?