Removing the vim error: viminfo: Illegal starting char in line

Find hidden file .viminfo in your home and rename to viminfo-backup. It will be recreated automatically.

This file contains the history of all the vim editor records i.e the files edited and the arguments you used inside the editor etc. 

From ref http://www.golinuxhub.com/2014/04/how-to-fix-e575-viminfo-illegal.html