Not to try to get you to NOT use Knoppix, but have you exhausted the de-worming possibilities?
Check your temp folders and delete ALL contents, (not the folders). Sort by date and see if there is anything suspicious that showed up when you started having the problems. I had a nasty bout with scumware, it resided in some harmless looking tmp2.tmp file (which I could not delete in normal mode) and which allowed the dang thing to keep re-installing itself on bootup. And it was clever enough to rotate amoung three different names for the folder and registry keys that it installed!
Try spybot, adaware, and hijackthis (if need be also CWshredder and stinger) and then if you are unsuccessful you can try Knoppix. I have had no luck with Knoppix and am searching for version 3.4 which is supposed to work better if you are trying to get NTFS write access.
GOOD LUCK!!