Windows Rot or Winrot is the phenomenon that happens to a MicrosoftWindows installation where its performance and reliability steadily degrade over time. The usual fix is to do a periodic reinstallation of the OS.
Unix/Linux systems do not suffer from this.
See also:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=3325
http://www.linuxworld.com/columnists/2005/082205gearhead.html
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Winrot
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050808-5181.html
http://www.vistaheads.com/forums/winvistaclub-blog/161191-arresting-windows-rot.html
http://www.winvistaclub.com/e2.htmlOne page links to WindowsRot: