There are a few ways to recover data on a Mac. If you have Leopard 10.5 or higher you'll have access to Time Machine - a great application for simplifying the data recovery process.

First lets look at what happens to data once is has been put into that recycling bin or trash can. This goes for all computers, not just macs.

 Computers seem to get old really fast these days. Every six months or so computer manufactures release their latest and greatest machines with about a 10% supposed speed boost.