1. 64MB of extra RAM that you are not using (I do not recommend this RAMdrive on systems with less than 512MB of memory).


2. Windows XP, 2000, or Server 2003. If you have Linux, this is probably a lot easier, sadly, but the guide doesn't cover it. This guide also won't work for Windows 98, but neither does EVE.


3. EVE on a drive formatted with NTFS. This is the default with Windows XP, but if you're using FAT32 this will not work. There are workarounds but you have to find them yourself.

1. If your cache goes above 64MB, it will no longer work. This is not a problem, as in 64MB you can fit a good few thousand portraits. If it really does get too large, feel free to delete some pictures.


2. You must run a batch file before starting EVE (to load the data into the RAMdisk), and another after (to save the data to disk).

1. Download this free RAMdrive driver and run it, extracting the data files to a temporary folder.


2. Go to Control Panel/Add Hardware.


3. Choose "Yes, I have already connected the hardware."


4. Scroll down the list and choose "add a new hardware device."


5. Choose "Install the hardware that I manually select from a list."


6. Choose "Show all devices."


7. Click "Have Disk" and choose the Inf file in the temporary folder from step 1.


8. Right click on My Computer, go to Hardware, go to Device Manager, and find the RAMdrive you just installed. Click the plus to see the driver itself in the category, and right click on it and select properties.


9. Select the disk size as "67108864" from the list and select S: as the drive letter (as that is what is used in the batch files).


10. Apply the settings.


11. Install the NTFS Link program.


12. Reboot.


13. Rename your cache folder in the EVE folder "cache2".


14. Create a "cache" folder in the newly created S: RAMdrive. Right-click drag it to the inside of the EVE folder, and select "create junction here."

Quote:

---

i: (DRIVE LETTER GOES HERE)
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ccp (CD TO THE CORRECT PATH)
cd eve
rmdir /s /q s:\cache
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H cache2 s:\cache
s:
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd cache
rmdir /s /q machonet
c:

---

Quote:

---

i: (DRIVE LETTER GOES HERE)
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ccp (PATH GOES HERE!)
cd eve
rmdir /s /q cache2
s:
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H cache i:\ccp\eve\cache2 (PATH GOES HERE AGAIN!)
rmdir /s /q cache
c:

---

Originally by: j0sephine

---

Edited by: j0sephine on 30/12/2006 20:45:41

"In addition, Windows doesn't support symlinks, a critical component of most other operating systems, which would be used to link the "cache" folder in EVE's folder to the RAMdrive."

Windows' NTFS supports "junction points" which for this particular purpose are the same thing -- a hard link which makes program trying to write in such linked directory to write in target folder, instead.

linkD.exe included with Windows Server Resource Kit can be used to form these links... as can be number of utilities listed on the bottom of wikipedia page dealing with this subject.

---

Originally by: j0sephine

---

anyway, this is alternative free ram disk. It's based on the same sample source code from microsoft, but doesn't have the artificial 64 mb limitation and doesn't try to make people shell out money for "full" version ;s

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Originally by: Kirex

---

Do we run shutdown.bat before we're about to close eve or after eve is already shut down?

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Originally by: Tharrn

---

Guess who nuked his prefs.ini and settings folder.

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Originally by: Ifni

---

I have to acquire bulk data for ages everytime i boot EVE now, so if anythign I'm seeing worse performance, at least trying to log in.

---

Originally by: Aeaus

---

s:
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H cache C:\Program Files\CCP\EVE\cache2

I don't know what's wrong here, but this just doesn't work.

I even modified the program to make a "cache2" folder, but nothing get's copied. S:\ is my drive, and that's the address of where the cache should be, but it doesn't work.

---

Originally by: Miranda Duvall

---

I'll assume all this doesn't breach the EULA (you dont change eve, you change the hardware under it), but maybe a GM could confirm this is legal?

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Originally by: Kaar

---

I read the other thread too and was going to try this, but then I questioned what, if any, benefit moving the cache to ram would give.

Open up task manager during your normal eve play and see how much has been write/read to your hard drive, for me it was never more than a few hundred mb over hours of having the client running and I'll bet the majority of that was loaded during login.

I decided it didnt warrant all this fussing around for such a minimal gain and risk of running out of cache space when you most need it. Has anyone even tested this during a fleet/pos fight?

Before anyone tries this I suggest you defrag your cache folder and see if that solves any of your problems.

---

Originally by: Miranda Duvall

---

I tried this now, and did indeed notice quite an improvement.
I must admit I also cleared my cache first..

There is however a however :)

I see "access denied" errors when running the batch file, and i when I quit eve, and unpaused the batchfile, both my cache folders were empty

Good thing I didn't back up my cache folder, otherwise i'd still have my settings...

I'll try to edit the batchfile some more...

I'll be back!

---

Originally by: Rakeris

---

I was wanting to try to put mu whole eve folder on it, but I'm around 100MB short. So I was wondering, what folders do you think would be most beneficial if I where to put them on the RAMDisk?

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Originally by: Rantor

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Originally by: Dark Shikari

---

The result seemed pretty damn effective and rather easy to setup.

---

If we put cache to RAM drive and it makes game faster, well... hm... isn't that a flashing point to CCP devs that they really should have changed something in their cache architecture already?

---

Originally by: Gor Kraon

---

Those batch files do work, assuming you get used to using them. (And don't lose power randomly.) What about a solution without having to use them at all?

Like this. It is free, restores the drive at power up, saves at intervals and/or shutdown, all kinds of settings... Seems really handy.

---

Originally by: Ernest Graefenberg

---

Bumping to confirm awesomeness. However :

Quote:

---

This is my shutdown.bat
c:
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd ..
cd program files\CCP\EVE
rmdir /s /q cache2
s:
cd \
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H s:\cache c:\program files\CCP\EVE\cache2
rmdir /s /q cache
c:

---

This does not copy the contents of my RAMDisk to the cache2 folder after deleting it.

---

Originally by: Kaar

---

Edited by: Kaar on 01/01/2007 01:37:46
I found another ramdisk program that lets you set much larger drives and seems to be free

Linkeh

It's really basic but still works with DS's instructions. Size and drive letter can be set in device manager (it's listed as a "RAM Disk").

edit: actually i think its already been posted... they all have the same bloody name

---

Originally by: Teluy

---

Guys, why don't you leave the caching to the application? Or to the filesystem? Heavily accessed files usually are kept dynamically in filesystem cache anyway and I guess eve itself keeps a lot of stuff in the cache as well (textures, etc.). So I guess you are ending up having a lot of things twice in the memory - that's no problem for people with a lot of memory, but might actually worse the problem for the ones with < 1GB ram.

Just my two cents.

---

Originally by: doctorstupid2

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Originally by: Mongo Smith

---

Originally by: doctorstupid2

---

Quite possibly a stupid question (hopefully the irony in that is not lost on anyone)

When creating the junction to S:\cache, windows automatically names it "Link to cache," does it need to be renamed to just "cache?"

---

Yes.

---

If that was mentioned anywhere in this thread previous, I do apologize. Dark Shikari, add that little piece of trivia to step 14 if you could

---

Originally by: Xen Gin

---

I've got it all running, except when EVE runs, it gets to "Acquiring Bulk Data" and seems to hang, while drawing in processor cycles. Anyone know why?

---

Originally by: chrisreeves

---

Is it possible to link in the main post to any other of the free ramdrive proggy's that are mentioned in this thread?

---

Originally by: Abbadon

---

Just thought I would post a further update after playing with this for a couple of days now:


I've used this ramdrive (32 and 64bit versions available) Linkage

Its not free but I think its worth the cashola.

Ive created 3 ramdrives and have mounted CACHE, CAPTURE and BIN directories.

Ive used the batch files/tools supplied in this thread (thanks all)

Result: Ive noticed a marked improvement with any session changes (instant screen load), and no lag whatsoever when in combat and there are 100 combat msgs per second popping on screen.

FYI: System spec, AMD 64 x 2 4800, 2Gig ram, 2 x 7900gtx @ 1920x1200 max quality in driver)

---

Originally by: Abbadon

---

Yeah DS, I had a play with the Enterprise version but found that mountvol wouldn't recognise the ramdrive volumes.

The ntfs link prog obviously fixes that but iirc is still limited to one ramdrive only?

---

Originally by: Abbadon

---

Well, the reason I use multiple ram drives is purely from playing around.

I wanted to try one folder at a time to see if there was any noticable difference.

Ive ordered another 2Gig of ram and am planning on putting whole Eve install in ramdrive and i have read that creating 2Gb ramdrives can be problematic so i may have to stick with 2-3 smaller ones

---

Originally by: Aeaus

---

DS, it seems that I can't get bin to run when on the RamDISK, currently running...

cache
capture
lib
logs
res
script

I also use a variation of your batch file, especially for the capture folder.

Clear out your capture folder and rename it to capture.org and have that copy to the RamDISK, but on shutdown copy it's contents to capture.auto, so you keep a record of everything you capture, but you don't end up cluttering the RamDISK with files that don't really need to be there.

---

Originally by: Gor Kraon

---

As i mentioned before, i like my portrait collection, but it is keeping me from using the RAMdrive for the whole cache folder... Would there be a way to delete all the x_256 portraits but keep the x_64?

---

Originally by: Zurtur

---

Didnt read the whole thread so sry if these question have already been asked.

My cache folder is 152mb with around 15,000 files! MachoNet is 80mb, and Pictures>Gids is another 30mb. What is MachoNet resposible for and what are gids? Can I delete those 2 folders to actually put my cache to ramdrive? Ofc they wouldnt be deleted everytime, only once. This is probably because my EvE client is like a year old, just copyed over from windows to windows and from PC to PC...

Z

---

Originally by: Gor Kraon

---

Any free working ram drives that can be set to 128MB? I need at least that much for portraits and the rest of EVE.

---

Originally by: Koum Lesaintier

---

has anyone used this method while running two acounts from a single client install? does this affect anything in this method?

I use the same client ( simply re-run it)for two seprate accounts not wanting to have a double install on my HD...

also, it seems this pushes the combined settings folder ( 2 acounts ..6 characters 0 to over 300MBS so thi smight present a problem as from what i read there are no ( free) RAM disk programs over 256 MB, right?

---

Originally by: Sir JoJo

---

tbh i am clueless to all this.. but the part of dropping my entire eve folder on to a ramdisk sounds like a option , but how much easier is that?

and yes i have no clue on **** like this

---

Originally by: Sir JoJo

---

This is probaly me doing something wrong.

First do i have to create that Batcht file one the ramdisk? because if i do it in my eve folder i just get an entire cachefolder more in my eve folder.

i did try and make a bacth file in the ramdisk and it worked somehow .. it actually did copy my cache to the ram disk but all settings arent as they used to be, well tbh its like a completly new installed client. hpw do i change that`? i havent deleted my setting and have backups but i thought it should copy them whit the rest of the cache.

@echo off
REM edit line below with your full eve path(no trailing \)
set EVEPATH=C:\Programmer\CCP\EVE

REM edit line below with your full ramdisk cache folder path (no trailing \)
set RAMPATH=S:\cache

@echo copying files, Please wait
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H "%EVEPATH%\cache2" %RAMPATH%
@echo files copied
"%EVEPATH%\eve.exe"
cls
@echo (only press when you shutdown eve)
pause
rmdir /s /q "%EVEPATH%\cache2"
xcopy /C /I /D /K /R /E /H %RAMPATH% "%EVEPATH%\cache2\"
rmdir /s /q %RAMPATH%
mkdir %RAMPATH%
exit

This is the Batch i used.

and do i have to use that batchfile every time i load eve or just the one?

yes i am a nooob at this.

---

Originally by: Lungorthin

---

Originally by: Sha'Uri Dark

---

[...] when I right-click the Cache folder on the ram drive and try to create a link to the Eve install I get:

Failed to create junction. Most likely the target file system does not support this function.

[...]

---

I get exactly the same error messages.
Have you found a solution? or does anyone know what could be the problem?

System: Win2000 and all drives having NTFS

Tech-Help please

---

Originally by: Fredou

---

question:

ntfs compressed or not?

---