Using KNOPPIX_V3.2-2003-09-05-EN.iso with md5 verified, I saved the configuration to floppy, and rebooted. The following messages appeared during the boot:

executing /mnt/floppy/knoppix.sh
Extracting /mnt/floppy/configs.tbz
tar: /etc/X11/XF86Config-4: time stamp 2003-09-14 06:51:34 is 26101 s in the future
tar: /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.kxconfig.backup: time stamp 2003-09-14 06:51:34 is 26101 s in the future
chown: too few arguments

I have never seen a succesful restore of the configuration from floppy, so I am not sure what to look for. I think the root password was restored, but the changes I made to the panel were not.

The time stamp complaints might have been caused by my attempts to adjust the clock to PDT.