Reset root password without alternate boot?

[Charles Jones]

Alan Dayley wrote:
> Any ideas how to get past this without riping the hard drive out?
>   
Removing the hard drive on a laptop is not a big deal, at most 
temporarily removing 2 screws. Then you can plug it into an IDE to USB 
adapter 
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002), and 
plug it into a linux box to mount and edit your /etc/shadow file and 
remove the encrypted password. Then unmount, slap it back into the 
laptop and login as root with no password where you are then free to 
change it.

-Charles