Spinning beachballs

[Mark Swanson]

I tried  running terminal and then:   sudo redo_prebinding -root /
It them asks me for a password.  But it never accepts my password.  
After three tries I have to start over.  Being a novice, I tried 
pasting and retyping the command, but no go.  Now I am more frustrated 
as I think its not accepting my password for root. Could this have 
changed without me knowing?   Maybe there is something simple I am 
missing.  Also, is there a book or site where I can begin to learn 
terminal and its commands.  I bought the  "Missing Manual" but its a 
little light on terminal commands.  By the way, I really appreciate 
having a source like this where people share their insight and 
experience.  Again, thanks to all.