Damaged resource fork

Hello! I'm running OS 9.2.2 on a G4. Yesterday I got a message that my startup disk was damaged, and Norton Disk Doctor diagnosed the problem as a damaged resource fork in the System file (something Norton is unable to fix). I also ran Disk First Aid and it was unable to fix the problem.
The same thing happened a few months ago. That time I ended up wiping the drive and reinstalling the system. Other than these two incidents, I've never had any problems with this computer.
Can anyone tell me what might have caused this error, and how (or whether) I can prevent it in the future? Is it purely a software error, or could there be damage to the disk itself? I'm planning to upgrade to OS X soon, but am hesitant to do so if my hard drive might be faulty.
Another piece of info that may or may not be helpful: my startup disk is not the original hard drive that came with the computer. It's a third-party drive that was added by the previous owner. The original drive is still installed as well and I use it to back up files.
Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Hi, Kristen -
There are some things you can do.
• Alsoft's DiskWarrior can sometimes make that kind of repair.
• When you wipe the drive, use the low-level or zero-all-data option in Drive Setup (Functions menu > Initialization Options). Zero-all-data can take a while, about one hour per each 10GB of drive size. Be sure to select Mac OS Extended as the format. Once the initialization is done, run Disk First Aid from the CD and select the Verify function. It is best to be booted to an OS 9.1 or 9.2.1 Install CD when using Drive Setup (earlier versions had defects).
Using Drive Setup
• If you are not experiencing problems with the original drive, make it the boot drive - install the OS on it - and use the newer one as a backup drive. You can have an OS installed on both drives, and boot to whichever you choose using either Startup Disk to select the boot drive in advance, or (provided the machine is not a G4 (PCI) model) Startup Manager to select it during the boot process.
Article #106178 - Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume
• If you have not already done so, and the machine is not a G4 (PCI) model, be sure the firmware has been updated to v. 4.2.8. This is especially important before installing OSX.
Article #120068 - G4 Firmware Update 4.2.8
<hr>
What may actually be causing the problem is hard to tell.
It could be software - unlike most of the other OS files, the System file can be altered/modified at certain times. This can (and is supposed to) happen when -
• alert sounds are added
• Language Kits are installed
• some changes are made via the Appearance control panel
• some changes are made by some GUI enhancers
Or, it could be the drive. However, it would be a remarkable coincidence that a defect in the drive caused damage to the same file (and just that file) twice in a row.

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