I know this is a terribly newbie question but I've searched and tried everything but putting the device in R&D mode.

When I try a command with sudo and it asks for the password, nothing I put in works. E.g., rootme, password, fakeroot, just hitting enter, etc...

Same with ssh root@localhost or when trying to ssh root@<ipaddress_of_device> from my computer.

I have rootsh and openssh installed. Typing in "sudo gainroot" on my device gives me access to the root shell but I still can't do ssh root@localhost with any of the passwords I've tried before. I've also tried "passwd" and "passwd root", in the root shell, but whatever new password I give it there doesn't stick.

Can I fix this without using R&D mode? Or if I can't, what do I do once I put the device in R&D mode?

Cheers, flp