There are several ways to delete the existing root password:
If Secure Startup is set:
1) Get a clean copy of A/UX startup from their distribution CD, and
reinstall.
2) While booted under the Macintosh Operating System, launch ResEdit,
and change the resource in the A/UX Startup application SASH ID=1
which is called "state." Flip the "check passwords" field of this
resource ID from 1 to 0 to disable password checking. You need not
worry about the existence of the auxstartuprc file in /etc. To
re enable switch the field back to 1.
The existence of the auxstartuprc in /etc does NOT guarantee password
checking. Even if the file is not there the bit in A/UX Startup
application REALLY controls this behavior.
When Secure Startup is not set:
The actual commands that you will type are enclosed in <> characters for clarity.
1) Start the AWS 95 or launch A/UX Startup.
2) At the "Welcome to A/UX" dialog, click the Cancel button.
3) At the Startup# prompt, type <launch -S> . This will cause A/UX to
come up in single user mode.
4) Type <cp /etc/passwd /etc/passwd.old>
5) Once A/UX comes up in single user mode, type <vi /etc/passwd> . This
will start the vi text editor and open the passwd file. You will see
the passwd file looks something like this:
root:CSFE80x0tKY92:0:0::/:/bin/sh
daemon:*:1:1::/:
bin:*:2:2::/bin:
sys:*:3:3::/bin:
adm:*:4:4::/usr/adm:
The character string CSFE80x0tKY92 in the first line is the encrypted
root password. The encrypted password string will be different on every
system. This is the part that must be deleted.
6) Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the first character of the
encrypted password string.
7) With the cursor sitting on top of the first character, in this
example the letter C, press the <x> key to delete the characters of
the password one at a time.
BE VERY CAREFUL not to delete the colon (:) at the end of the
password string or anything after.
When you are done, the first line should look like this:
root::0:0::/:/bin/sh
8) To save the changes you made type <:w!> and press return.
9) To exit the vi editor type <ZZ> . That's shift with two z's.
10) To restart the Macintosh type <reboot> at the command line prompt.
11) To log in, type <root> in the Name field and leave the Password
field blank.
If you make any mistakes while editing the /etc/passwd file, type <:q!>
to quit without saving changes. Then start over again.