How to create a RAM drive to speed up Java development
Written by Rudy D'hauwe on August 9, 2013.
I used the SoftPerfect Ram Disk software to create a 2GB RAM drive for my entire Java development environment. I am currently using the beta 3.4 version. I installed my entire Java development environment on the RAM disk, including the JDK, Eclipse, Maven, the local Maven repository, Git, and of course the Java workspace. I also told my virus scanner NOT to track and scan files on the ram disk.
Go to the menu Image > Create Image to create a new image.
Specify file name on your harddisk, the image size and the file system to be used.
The creation of the image is confirmed.
To create a disk that is mounted at logon, go to the menu and select Disk > Add.
Select the image file you have just created and specify the drive letter (J:). Also check “Save Contents to Image”. Make sure to leave “Mount as Removable” unchecked, this will enable you to easily pin executables on the RAM disk to the Windows task bar.
Click on the advanced button to check “Save contents to associated image every 60 minutes”. If you want you can decrease the time between saves.
You're done!
With complements to the SoftPerfect Ram Disk developers!
How to pin files on the RAM disk to the Windows 7 task bar
If you have unchecked the “Mount as Removable” option when mounting the disk, you can use the standard Windows approach to pin files to the Windows task bar. That is by using the right-click context menu on the file or executable you want to pin.
I however experienced a problem with the shortcut after reinstalling Eclipse. The shortcut to eclipse.exe was still on the task bar and functioning correctly. However the icon of the shortcut had disappeared and it was virtually impossible to get the icon back. Finally I found this solution that worked for me.
How to reset the Windows icon cache
- Open the Task Manager (Shift+Ctrl+ESC)
- In the Process tab, right-click on the Explorer.exe process and select End Process.
- Open the file picker via “File > New Task (Run)” and click the Browse button.
- Type or paste %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local in the File name field.
- Select the file IconCache.db and use Delete in the right-click menu to delete the file.
- Verify that the IconCache.db has been deleted
- Start a new explorer.exe process via “File > New Task”
- The desktop and task bar should now be back - with icons ;-)
It is possible that the file IconCache.db is a hidden file and in that case you need to enable viewing hidden files before doing the above mentioned steps.
Related articles
- How to install the Java Development Kit (JDK) on a RAM drive
- How to install Eclipse on a RAM drive and make it start up in less than 10 seconds