Other Help Topics :: Dumb Question But...

Okay, so type "sudo passwd" then press enter? Then type "su" and enter a password?

No, type "sudo passwd", and type in a password when it asks you for one. Then type "su", and enter the password you typed.

Or even easier write this in a shell: sudo emelfm
That will load emelfm as super user, which will enable you to do all the reading you like with a nice graphical file editor

original here.