I have accumulated several monitors that came from
Unix workstations. These monitors work well at
a resolution of about 1024x768 (85 hz refresh)
and up.

I generally use 1600x1200 @ 70 hertz.

Problem is, I don't see anything until windows goes into
graphics mode (or Knoppix starts X)

It's a bit tricky to get knoppix to boot properly with
knoppix xvrefresh=70 screen=1600x1200 when you
can't see what you're typing.

Is there any way to tweak LILO so that it will change the
monitor refresh rate/resolution so that I'll be able to see what
is going on much earlier in the boot process?

Oh yes... I do have regular SVGA monitors, but these are 19 and 21
inch, and they are much larger and nicer than my regular SVGA monitors. That's why I'm willing to put up with the inconvenience of blindly
typing in cheat codes... B-)