Booting to external HDD - optimization

I've installed Knoppix 3.3 (19 Nov version) to my HDD and am using the CD to boot into it (using the method described here http://knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6463).

As I'm using hte CD to boot, I have a few concerns/questions:

1. Knoppix uses a ramdisk when running from CD. I use this ramdisk during the boot process, but once I'm ruinning from the HDD I no longer need it. Is the ram used by the ramdisk being freed up (e.g. see http://knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7905)? This is pretty important as I'm only have 128 MB of RAM and cannot upgrade.

2. Knoppix loads a number of modules when starting up (it is this feature that makes booting to a 1394 HDD so easy). However I don't need all modules (such as hpfs, minix etc - see http://gnubox.dyndns.org:8080/~sunil/knoppixtweak.php). I imagine that I cannot stop Knoppix from loading them, the only thing to do would be to "modprobe -r <module_name>" once I've transfered the root fs to my 1394 drive? Is this correct?

3. Will Knoppix start/stop services that are in /etc/rc{runlevel}.d on my 1394 HDD when I transfer the root FS to the 1394 drive?

OK that's it for now ;), these questions should be valid for USB HDD users as well who do not have the BIOS option of booting from USB and who have not installed LILO or GRUB.

Thanks for any information on this tricky (too tricky for me, just too newbie) booting technique.