Question

I was using Eclipse and I got java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: PermGen space error. In Eclipse FAQ it says I should add these lines to eclipse.ini:

--launcher.XXMaxPermSize
[xxx]m

where xxx is the memory size I want to use (I tried 256). But after I do this I get Failed to create Java Virtual Machine error on Eclipse startup. What should I do to get it working?

---

My eclipse.ini file before editing:

-startup
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.2.0.v20110502.jar
--launcher.library
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.win32.win32.x86_1.1.100.v20110502
-showsplash
org.eclipse.platform
--launcher.XXMaxPermSize
--launcher.defaultAction
openFile
-vmargs
-Xms40m
-Xmx1024m

Answer 1

You need to adjust your eclipse.ini to include the argument -XX:MaxPermSize + specify a specific JVM for Eclipse to run on by adding the -vm option just before the -vmargs option. Ex:

-vm
C:\Java\JDK\1.6\bin\javaw.exe (The exact path to javaw.exe)
-vmargs
-Xms40m
-Xmx1024m

The -vm option and its value (the path) must be on separate lines.

A complete example:

-startup
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.2.0.v20110502.jar
--launcher.library
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.win32.win32.x86_1.1.100.v20110502
-showsplash
org.eclipse.platform
--launcher.XXMaxPermSize
256m
--launcher.defaultAction
openFile
-vm
C:\Java\JDK\1.6\bin\javaw.exe
-vmargs
-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
-Xms40m
-Xmx768m