Network works...then it doesn't

[CrashedAgain]

Weird problem just started with my Toshiba laptop/Netgear pcmcia ethernet card.
It sets up properly & broadcasts for DHCP as part of knoppix-autoconfig script. Then it trashes the pcmcia connection.
Startup messages look some thing like this:

modprobe 8390
modprobe pcnet_cs
./network start eth0
/sbin/ifconfig eth0 up
/sbin/pump -i eth0 > dev/null

All this is as part of knoppix-autoconfig script; I have inserted an 'end of autoconfig script' echo command to aid troubleshooting so I can tell when it exits.
Then, immediately following the autoconfig script, it does the following:

[re]starting pcmcia services (in green)
cardmgr [109] ./network check eth0
cardmgr [109] ./network stop eth0
cardmgr [109] /sbin/pump -r -i eth0
cardmgr [109] modprobe -r pcnet_cs
cardmgr [109] modprobe -r 8390
cardmgr [109] exiting
cardmgr [505] error in file 'config line 2288 unknown device prism_cs
cardmgr [505] open_sock (socket 0) failed device or resource busy

Then it goes on to start cups & samba & startx. At this point I have no net connection. I have checked this by inserting a 'ping' test command at the end of knoppix-autoconfig & again at the start of /etc/init.d/xsession. First ping is OK, second fails.

I doubt if anybody else has actually had this problem, I always seem to get the weird ones, but can anybody help?

Why would this suddenly start doing this? Why/what script is attempting to [re]start pcmcia services & screwing it up. (Note: running from CD it appears not to do this) What controls the startup procedure...what calls knoppix-autoconfig & what is supposed to happen next?

[CrashedAgain]

I have partially solved this but still have questions.
Tracking through the startup procedure, knoppix-autoconfig runs first. It correctly identifies & sets up the PCMCIA ethernet card on socket 1. Then knoppix-hd-config runs. It attempts to restart the ethernet card (why??). It succeeds in shutting down the card, removing modules (modprobe -r) pcnet_cs & 8390 but then fails attempting to restart because it finds an open socket (socket 0) which it is unable to close.
I have done a 'workaround' disabling the shutdown part of the process, network now stays up but can somebody explain why knoppix-hd-config wants to do the shutdown/restart in the first place & how do I figure out what socket 0 is doing.