Ok, well if you had that line with a pw before you installed the ssh server, then that really means there is a standard default root password.

That means that once you are running ssh server, anyone knowing that default password and your IP can get root access on your device.

That is a really bad scenario, and almost certainly is why when you install the ssh server it asks you to change the password!

I think it's best to leave the password as you've changed it, it really is A LOT more secure like that.

Evidently it does not harm the system to have it set differently (I've been running mine now with that for nearly 2 weeks).

Edit: Oh, well, a bit too late with that post. But really, slow down!