Bizarre spurious input on /dev/console and /dev/tty1

[Ubuntaqua]

Hello all,

My ubuntu 9.04 x86_64 install is experiencing something very strange.

Every time I have a prompt (command line, Firefox adress bar, text editor, ...) a letter (letter "à") appears on the prompt, just as if I had typed it on my keyboard. a new one is typed every 3 seconds, very regularly.

This happens on every input field (even gksu), on virtual consols (ctl-alt-1/2/3...), but NOT when remotely logged in via ssh.

in a terminal :

sudo cat /dev/console

gives:

?
  ?
     ?
        ?

with "?" being a strange ascii char I know nothing about.
(the same thing with sudo cat /dev/tty1

Nothing interesting to see in the logs.

Does anyone have an idea what this is all about?

Regards,

Olivier

EDIT : unplugging the keyboard has no effect whatsoever.

[NoaHall]

Try using ctrl + alt +1 and running a command from there, see if output is the same.

[jon64]

Are you remotely accessing your ubuntu install through another machine or from the same machine? If you're remotely accessing your ubuntu machine from another machine try using a different keyboard on the ubuntu machine. Maybe their's something faulty with the hardware.

[Ubuntaqua]

Thanks for your rapid answers...
as already said in the first post :

- local tty (ctl-alt-X) have the same problem, with or without beeing logged in. (if not logged in, the "à" is type normally after "login:"
- the spurious inputs still come after unplugging mouse and keyboard. The keyboard itself is ok
- the spurious inputs do not happen in a ssh console, only when using a direct access (local tty, local gedit, ....)

[jon64]

That really is odd.. and im definitly not no guru in linux lol... i guess if the keyboard is usb u can try a different port and if its ps2 u can use a ps2 to usb adapter and try that. sorry dood

[Ubuntaqua]

That really is odd..

you nailed it

and im definitly not no guru in linux lol... i guess if the keyboard is usb u can try a different port and if its ps2 u can use a ps2 to usb adapter and try that. sorry dood

kbd is ps2 but thanks anyway.

Breaking news: it also happens when booting from a xubuntu live CD.
So I guess I'm stuck with a hardware related issue. But I'm nowhere near finding out what exactly causes this.

[jon64]

Hopefully someone will arrive with some answers for ya

[Ubuntaqua]

Thanks, but i nailed it down :
hardware failure :/

My dvb-t card is in the process of dying and is doing so by polluting tty...

rest in pieces..