I am not sure what you have tried.
I use leafpad to edit files.
To start as root, open the terminal, and type sudo leafpad.
To open hidden files, click on the square at the top left, and type in the name.
If you use persistent home and opt, you only need to backup things not in home or opt, which isn't much.
You can also make new extensions for things not in home or opt, and not use backup at all. However, if you did that, to change the password, you would need to make another new extension.
Without backup, start up and shut down is quick.