I know this isn't helpful, but I will chime in and say that I have a similar issue with a PCMCIA CF reader. Unfortunately, I already own a 2GB CF card, and it would be perfect for use as storage under knoppix. I tried your mounting commands just for laughs, and I got the same "no special device" error, too. I hope that a Knoppix guru has some advice for you and for me. Best of luck.