I just started using Knoppix myself, I know how you feel. However, just as a suggestion, more help would come your way if we could have some details about your system. That being said, here's my 2 coppers of help...

Have you used "knoppix failsafe" at the boot: prompt? That'll bypass most of the starup detection and get into the OS without much scanning. You could also try "knoppix testcd" to see if the CD you made is okay. Oh yeah, drop the quotation marks on those commands, in case you weren't sure.

'Goon