Boot message..
 

what does this mean ? it appears when i boot up ?

insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.20/kernel/drivers/net/8139.cp.o.gz: failed etc... a couple of times..

sounds like a network driver (module) is trying to load but isn't present...or is being invoked with incorrect parameters.

i think its the realtek chipset 8139 if that helps

correct.

Fuel do you have one, if you do check that your kernel has the option for module compiled in for it, otherwise remove it from the modules autoload file.

my modules.conf is empty

I have the same problem, but with 8139too. How can I get rid if it? from my rc.modules:
I don't prob it but I still got that "failure" message at boot... why?

what distro are you using?

Do you use some kind of 'linuxconf' who's searching at boottime for newly installed hardware and tries to auto-configure them?

Slackware 9

It's hotplug doing this, I saw the same error at my first boot.
I have an 8139 card that uses the 8139too module, the 8139cp module is a new experimental module for a new revision of the 8139 chip, both modules were being loaded by hotplug during boot, the 8139too module was doing it's bit but the 8139cp module was outputting those errors (because I don't have an 8139cp chip), after a kernel rebuild those messages have gone - because I only build for my hardware, so no module no error messages.