Reset root password without alternate boot?

[Alan Dayley]

I have an old laptop that I installed Linux on some time ago and then
never used.  I have a use for it now and it is working.  However, I
don't remember the root password.  No big deal, just boot to runlevel
1, right?  Well, this system still asks for the root password before
you can get to the runlevel 1 prompt!  Highly secure, I suppose but
inconvenient.

So, this laptop does NOT have an optical drive NOR will it boot from
USB. More inconvenience. Unless there is some what to get around the
password prompt, I'll be stuck removing the hard drive to do a
re-install, as I did to get Linux on the computer in the first place.

Any ideas how to get past this without riping the hard drive out?

Alan