How do I backup to my external hd on 10.6.8 if the disk is damaged and can't be repaired?

Hi! So, I'll get straight to the point. I'm running 10.6.8 on my mac, which is about 5 years old. I attempted to install OSX Mavericks last night, so I could update some of my software. Anyways, the computer restarts and opens up the installer for OSX Mavericks, but after about a minute of installing, it shows that the Mavericks install failed. The upgrade couldn't be started because the disk Macintosh HD is damaged and can't be repaired.
Could someone tell me (step by step) how to back up all of my data, erase the disk, and install again? I have an external HD by the way.
Help would be much appreciated!

So, essentially you're saying that I need to download one of these programs to my external hd. But, how do I boot it from my mac if I can't get past the installation screen of Mavericks? I'm running on my other mac right now, if that helps. I've tried to use disk utility to repair, but it's greyed out. I honestly just want to retrieve all of my data, wipe the drive, and then install a new one. I just want to know how to do that.

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