Runaway input

[ddb1942]

Every space on any doc, web site or message- the number 3 is taking over my screen.3333333333333333333

[stevef]

Is this something that has started recently on a previously working system ?

If you can open
Menu
Settings
Keyboard
Behaviour
Do you see 3 appearing in the Test area and does the behaviour change if you disable 'Enable key repeat' or change the repeat speed on that screen.

Possibly a hardware issue but you would expect a stuck key to cause problems all the time, e.g. when logging on to the GUI not just when applications are open.

[ddb1942]

Thank you for taking the time to help me.
1. New Lite OS from disk.
2. Re-installed OS when problem started.
3. Already made your recommendations except repeat speed. Now accomplished.
4. Has now become very random and only 3, not 33333333333.
5. Is there a SWEEP program to run to find a possible attack?

Again, thank you.

[stevef]

I don't know what a SWEEP program is in computing terms, but as you mention attack, I guess you are referencing anti-malware.

Linux has a small range of anti-malware compared with Windows or MAC OS.
For regular use integrated into the OS search for 'clamav' which seems to be the standard for Linux
For making a one off disk to boot your machine from and then scan the whole disk system you could try something like Avira Rescue System which claims to work on Linux disks.
I've not used either.

It still seems the problem is likely hardware.
If you can physically change the keyboard, that would be my first thing to do.  I don't know your model, but dismantling and cleaning may be possible.

Otherwise, there is a utility called 'xev' which is for debugging mouse and keyboard input.
Open a terminal by pressing 'ctrl' 'alt' and 't' together and then type

Code:

xev

followed by return.

This should open a small 'Event Tester' window.
While the Event Tester window is selected the terminal window will report mouse and keyboard activity.
So, if you operate the mouse within the Event Tester window, the terminal will report all the happenings.
Similarly, operating any key on the keyboard should report two actions in the terminal, one for press and one for release.

To test
Ensure the Event Tester window is selected, then keep the mouse pointer well away from the window.
Press a few keys to see how the terminal reports them. You should see two events logged each time you press and release a key.
Make a note of the timestamp of the last actual press/release.

Then leave the system alone to monitor for any spurious '3' events.  You may want to disable screensaver to avoid confusion.

If xev shows '3' occurring randomly, it would suggest that the keyboard is generating them.  See if tapping gently near the '3' keys changes things.

To end the xev session, select the terminal window and press 'ctrl' and 'c'