You are unlikely to get a fix for this as if everyone did the same sort of thing the network would buckle under the pressure. This is the sort of answer you will get for this type of inquiry, although I am not sure if this applies to your case.

What you must remember is that if you are downloading a file it may well be from only one host, and after an hour or three it is likely that that host will go offline. If that happens you MUST research for a file, or wait until that host comes back on line. You cannot assume that a host sharing a file will still be doing so in 5 hours time. If you have downloads "awaiting sourses" in the Downloads Window, they may or may not restart if the host comes back on line. Sometimes a search which turns up that particular file will, in my experience, trigger a restart. I am surprised that you say your files say awaiting sourses, as frequently the files go to "need more sourses", which always requires a re-search, or resume. "Awaiting sourses" files have a sporting chance of restarting if the host comes back online.

I find that it is never a good idea to desert limewire for hours on end, if you are downoading a queue. Sometimes it works fine, but other times it requires a bit of manual intervention.

I hope this makes a bit of sense, It is a while since I used a modem and the update to broadband was unbeleivably worthwhile....