If you missed last night’s airing of your favorite TV series, you don’t have to start phoning your friends in hopes that somebody, anybody recorded it. There’s a good chance you can watch it online, thanks to the growing number of Web sites offering full episodes of popular TV series. Some even have classic shows, so you can enjoy a stroll down memory lane with oldies but goodies such as Twin Peaks, the Love Boat, Perry Mason, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Most of the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and others) have online video libraries, as do many cable networks (Disney, TNT, USA, and more). There are also aggregators offering shows from many networks. Hulu may be the best-known, but AOL, TV Guide, YouTube, and Find Internet TV are also serving that niche.

Most online episodes are available free, with limited commercials. There’s often a time window in which a given episode is available, so don’t wait too long or you could miss the boat. You’ll need a fairly fast broadband connection and an up-to-date operating system; in some cases, it has to be a Windows OS (sorry, Mac users). You might also need a newer version of software such as Adobe Flash. Sites like Hulu spell out their requirements and recommendations, as does Disney.

If you can’t find a full episode, you can often fill in the blanks with a text synopsis of the show you missed or a few excerpts from the video. Happy hunting! —Eileen McCooey

Got $400? That’s all it takes to get one of several computers we recommend in our latest Ratings of laptops, desktops, and netbooks (available to subscribers).

There are lots of bargains out there right now as manufacturers recently released a slew of new models, and prices are dropping on the old ones to make way for the latest stock. You can still find some great systems among those “older” models.

For example, we recommend a Toshiba laptop that costs just $380. For that, you get a 15-inch model with a 250GB hard drive and 3.5 hours of battery life. We also recommend a Compaq desktop that’s just $350, and would make a good basic system for routine computer use. If your space is limited, there’s a $400 Acer computer that’s compact, but full of features.

If you’re in the market for a smaller laptop or an all-in-one system, there are plenty of bargains to be had. For example, although all-in-one desktops are generally more costly than other desktops, we recommend a $780 Dell all-in-one. Thirteen-inch laptops have always cost more than their larger counterparts, but $900 is no longer an uncommon price for a slim-and-light system like those we recommend from HP and Apple.

Speaking of Apple, the company last month dropped prices on most of its systems. For example, prices on both the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro dropped by $300, and those models have been upgraded, so you get a better computer for less money.

And of course, if you’re in the market for a secondary system for easy toting and Web surfing, take a look at our Ratings of netbooks, where you’ll find our recommendation for an Acer system that has 9 hours of battery life. —Donna Tapellini

As you may already know if you own an AT&T device that connects to the 3G network, like an iPhone 3GS or AT&T-connected netbook, the carrier’s 3G service went out for some time this morning – “largely in the northeast,” according to the company.

What you may not know is that some affected subscribers have received $25 credits toward their bills as compensation for the outage. At least one blog has reported such credits, and a Consumer Reports staffer just reported receiving one. However, in both cases the credit was not offered; the subscriber had to explicitly ask.

So you might want to ask for a credit if you were affected.

The other lesson from the outage? Twitter helped – but could have helped even more. GottaBeMobile, the blog that reported the credit, did so by picking up a tweet. AT&T got word out that it had ended the outage via the app. But it would have been even better had the company tweeted as soon as the outage happened, and given progress repprts on fixing it. From its twitter page, there’s no sign it provided that information. - Paul Reynolds.

The Converter Box program ends July 31, or earlier if supplies run out. I doubt there will be an extension, so if you need a $40 coupon for a converter box, this is your last chance to order them. After the program ends, you’ll have to pay full price for the boxes left in stores.

The NTIA website is www.dtv2009.gov or you can order by phone at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009)

The Converter Box program ends July 31, or earlier if supplies run out. I doubt there will be an extension, so if you need a $40 coupon for a converter box, this is your last chance to order them. After the program ends, you’ll have to pay full price for the boxes left in stores.

The NTIA website is www.dtv2009.gov or you can order by phone at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009)