The easiest way to solve your "forgotten root password" problem is to boot your Linux in the single-user mode, namely at the "lilo"prompt (during bootup) type:
linux single
This will make you "root" without asking for a password. Now, being root, you may change the root password using this command (no knowledge of the old password required):
passwd
If it strikes you as insecure, that's because no computer system is secure if other people have physical access to your hardware. I did not like the "linux single" hole on my home computer and plugged it by adding the following lines to my /etc/lilo.conf file (at the end of the "image=" section):
password="my_password"
restricted
[This "lilo" password is required when, at the LILO prompt during bootup, somebody enters the word "linux" with any parameter (normal bootup without any parameters will still be possible without a password).] For the changes to /etc/lilo.conf to take effect, I must re-run the command lilo . Since my lilo password is not encrypted, I must make /etc/lilo.conf readable only for root:
chmod 600 /etc/lilo.conf
