Invalid node error

Question

So by now, I've figured out that I probably need a new hard drive. But here's the real issue. I haven't backed up my hard drive in quite sometime. It's been too long for me to just wipe my hard drive. I need it backed up immediately. I tried backing it up in disk utility, but the back up only gets so far then an error message pops up, telling me that the back up could not be finished because of an in/out error. My question is, how do I go about getting all the files on that hard drive onto another? What programs will work? What should I do? Also, I ran disk repair. It says it can not fix the issue.

Answer 1

'This last thing i remember trying to open a video in quicktime. Thats when everything went sour. Could that be the corrupted file?'
It's not possible to answer that, I'm afraid. I have a nasty feeling that it's a lot worse than one corrupted file. An 'invalid node' error' means that the Directrory (which is the index which tells the computer where to look for files) is corrupted. It doesn't necessarily mean that any files are corrupted, but if the Directory isn't working then the computer doesn't know where anything is and can't boot or access the files. There's a good chance - though not a complete one - that DiskWarrior can fix this if that's all it is, but it costs $99.99. It scans the disk and builds a completely new directory, replacing the old one rather than trying to repair it as Disk Utility does. It is a useful program to have around anyway.
An i/o error is a failure to read something, which could  simply be the result of the Directory problem, though it's possible that there might be other problems. If there's a sector or other physical failure with the disk then it's much less likely you will be able to access the data yourself.
'Is there a way I can force the boot up just long enough for me to retrieve all the files i need?'
I'm afraid that's unlikely. There's no magic way of increasing the likelihood of booting.
Your best hope is probably DiskWarrior (I have no connection with this firm); if it works then it's money well spent, but of course if it doesn't it's an added expense on top of any replacement disk.
And when you get this sorted out do institute a strong backup regime. Not backing up will inevitably eventually lead to the situation you now find yourself in. It's an area where paranoia pays. I maintain several different backups, including online for important data, Time Machine, and a couple of clones.