Then, after installing the "linux-headers" package that went with my kernel, I downloaded Kano's "install-nvidia-debian.sh" script and used it with the "-c" switch to install the beta nvidia driver. Beryl-0.1.1 packages for Etch/Sid and a How-To are
available here.
debian defaults to starting kdm/gdm at runlevel 3, not 5. Simply using sysv-rc-conf to set the desired startup runlevels will make it do what you want.
you notice any performance differences? Are there any hardware problems you didn't have when installing kanotix itself? Also, how did the overall install time compare?
(I think Kanotix is installing an image of itself, not installing individual debs, the way the Debian installer is, so that's to be expected.)