Keyboard is typing symbols..

I've checked the ctrl and alt buttons, no sticking.

How about the command (Apple), option & ctrl (control) keys?

Check your font settings in Font Book? Which application are the symbols appearing?

Try using this free utility called FontNuke.

Let's try the Font Book again then.

Check for duplicate fonts.
Applications>Font Book
Select “All Fonts”
If you see any “black dots” next to any fonts this mean you have duplicates and/or multiple versions of these fonts.

To clean this up, select a “black dotted” font or the Apple + click to select multiple dotted fonts;
Edit>Resolve>Duplicates.
What the above does is turns off the duplicates & multiple version fonts. Not delete them.
More than likely the “extras” were installed by other programs and/or other users.



*Font book can examine your fonts for problems.*

Applications>Font Book
Select your main main font library.
Then go to:
Edit>Validate Fonts

After selecting the above, any problematic/corrupted fonts will appear with a check mark, a yellow exclamation point or a red X icon.
Check the box for any font you want to remove and click Remove Checked.

Errors & warnings can be hard to find in the master list. Use the pull-down menu to find them. It's much easier this way anyways.

After doing all of the above you may want to boot from your install disc & run Repair Disk from the utility menu. To use the Install Mac OS X disc, insert the disc, and restart your computer while holding down the C key as it starts up.
Select your language.
Once on the desktop, select Utility in the menu bar.
Select Disk Utility.

Select the disk or volume in the list of disks and volumes, and then click First Aid.
Click Repair Disk.
Restart your computer when done.

Repair permissions after you reach the desktop- http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751