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Whenever I have two command prompts open I always get this script coming up after I execute the commands. Just to clarify the commands execute and output correctly but after the out put before the next command prompt I get this. does anyone know what it is and how to solve it

N.B. if I have more than two command prompts open it will still only appear in the second one not the third or forth just the second one

(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: syntax error
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: K
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ?
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: ^[
(standard_in) 1: illegal character: H
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    print / 2
          ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
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5
  • 1
    Looks like you're piping something to bc. Does that ring a bell?
    – Jos
    Jun 8, 2016 at 11:29
  • check ~/.bashrc, perhaps something's wrong there
    – Putnik
    Jun 8, 2016 at 14:00
  • hi @Jos could you please explain what bc is as I do not recognise it
    – LinuxSailorTech
    Jun 8, 2016 at 14:26
  • hi @Putnik I have customised my command prompt I have double checked my bashrc file and it looks OK to me. However I will edit my question to include it in the question however if it was a problem with bashrc I would expect the problem to appear in all the terminals I created not just the 2nd one.
    – LinuxSailorTech
    Jun 8, 2016 at 14:31
  • bc (see man bc) is the bash calculator, a utility for doing complex calculations in bash scripts. In fact, if you do echo K | bc you will get exactly the above error messages, so I wondered whether you have a | bc somewhere in your .bashrc, for instance.
    – Jos
    Jun 8, 2016 at 14:57

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

I have solved the problem by changing the PS1 in my .bashrc file from

PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\e[1;4;32m\]\u@\h\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[0;34m\]Date:\d | Time:\t\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[2;33m\]Shell:\s | Version:\V\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[4;1;31m\]CPU Usage $(echo print `top -n 1 | tr -s " " | cut -d$" " -f10 | tail -n +8 | head -n -1 | paste -sd+ | bc`/ `nproc` | python)% | Free Memory $(awk "/MemFree/{print \$2}" /proc/meminfo)\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[4;35m\]Command History:\!\[\e[00m\] | \[\e[4;37m\]Command Number:\#\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[1;33m\]{Directory:\w}\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[1;2;32m\]I am ready for your commands master \$}-\[\e[00m\]\[\e[36m\]'

to

PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\e[1;4;32m\]\u@\h\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[0;34m\]Date:\d | Time:\t\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[2;33m\]Shell:\s | Version:\V\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[4;1;31m\]CPU Usage $(echo print `top -n 1 | tr -s " " | cut -d$" " -f10 | tail -n +8 | head -n -1 | paste -sd+ | bc`/ `nproc` | python)% | Free Memory $(awk "/MemFree/{print \$2}" /proc/meminfo)\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[4;35m\]Command History:\!\[\e[00m\] | \[\e[4;37m\]Command Number:\#\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[1;33m\]{Directory:\w}\[\e[00m\]\n\[\e[1;2;32m\]I am ready for your commands master \$}-\[\e[00m\]\[\e[36m\]'

however if anyone can tell me what was wrong with the first PS1 then that would be greatly appreciated

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