root password as normal user

Hi, I'm a newbie with linux. Using SUSE 9.3 Pro My root user ID and password work fine. When I log in as a normal user, SUSE Watcher alerts me that new updates are available. I click on the check for updates. Because of permissions, I get prompted for the root password. I put in the root password but it says it's invalid. This did work at one time. I know it is good because I can switch users and log in as root with the same password. At one time I renamed my "normal" user ID. The updates still worked though. I have just deleted my normal user and created a new user. This did not help. Other than what I've done thus far, I have no idea where to go next. Sean Everything's easy once you know how