Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.​OutOfMemor​yError: GC overhead limit exceeded

I recently installed matlab R2017a version licensed under the Coursera Stanford MOOC for Machine Learning. Whenever I start writing a script, I get this error above and then matlab gets extremely slow and bogged down. What is going on and how do I fix this?

The following is what I get as the error:

Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
  at com.mathworks.services.settings.Setting.nativeGet(Native Method)
  at com.mathworks.services.settings.Setting.getInternal(Setting.java:587)
  at com.mathworks.services.settings.Setting.get(Setting.java:429)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.widgets.address.EmptyPoller.run(EmptyPoller.java:32)
  at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Unknown Source)
  at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.runAndReset(Unknown Source)
  at java.util.concurrent.ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor$ScheduledFutureTask.access$301(Unknown Source)
  at java.util.concurrent.ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor$ScheduledFutureTask.run(Unknown Source)
  at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
  at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
  at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Exception in thread "Explorer NavigationContext request queue" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
  at java.lang.String.concat(Unknown Source)
  at com.mathworks.matlab.api.explorer.FileLocation.checkExtension(FileLocation.java:177)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.extensions.archive.ZipFileMounter.open(ZipFileMounter.java:21)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.resolveLocation(VirtualFileSystem.java:297)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.getTarget(VirtualFileSystem.java:276)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.resolveLocation(VirtualFileSystem.java:285)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.getTarget(VirtualFileSystem.java:276)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.resolveLocation(VirtualFileSystem.java:285)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.getTarget(VirtualFileSystem.java:276)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.resolveLocation(VirtualFileSystem.java:285)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.getTarget(VirtualFileSystem.java:276)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.isMountPoint(VirtualFileSystem.java:239)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.toExternalEntry(VirtualFileSystem.java:324)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileSystem.toExternalEntry(VirtualFileSystem.java:319)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileList$MountingReceiver.receive(VirtualFileList.java:106)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileList$MountingReceiver.receive(VirtualFileList.java:95)
  at com.mathworks.util.AsyncReceiverUtils$3.receive(AsyncReceiverUtils.java:77)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.realfs.StatToEntryAdapter.receive(StatToEntryAdapter.java:37)
  at com.mathworks.cfbutils.NativeCfb.listFiles(Native Method)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.realfs.RealFileList.readFilesAndFolders(RealFileList.java:47)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.overlayfs.OverlayFileList.readFilesAndFolders(OverlayFileList.java:52)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.vfs.VirtualFileList.readFilesAndFolders(VirtualFileList.java:57)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.table.UiFileList.readAndUpdateCache(UiFileList.java:361)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.table.UiFileList.access$500(UiFileList.java:46)
  at com.mathworks.mlwidgets.explorer.model.table.UiFileList$6.run(UiFileList.java:326)
  at com.mathworks.util.RequestQueue.execute(RequestQueue.java:129)
  at com.mathworks.util.RequestQueue.access$000(RequestQueue.java:25)
  at com.mathworks.util.RequestQueue$2.run(RequestQueue.java:79)
  at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceede</code>d
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded

Answer 1

[Mark Adamik]

Had the same problem, increasing the Java Heap Memory solved it.