Mac won't boot. How can I copy files off HDD before reinstalling OS

This morning the Mac failed to boot. I used the OPTION /boot procedure and tried to repair the boot disk, but the disk utility failed to complete the repair, indicating it could not be repaired.
My second effort was to download the OS. Before doing so I tried to copy the important data files from the damaged drive but found no way to accomplish that given the limited software suite available in this BOOT mode.
Deciding to bite the bullet and fall back to backed-up data once the system was repaired, I followed the OS RESTORE process. The interactive, on-line restore process offered me a choice of either of the 2 drives on the system, the failed HD, or the DATA RECAPTURE USB drive I attached and to which I planned to copy the important data files.
Interestingly, the process would not allow me to write the OS back to the damaged internal drive, saying it was "LOCKED". Presently I am in the second hour of an eight hour process writing the OS to the USB drive. I believe this was my only option, so I took it, but I am left with the following questions:
[1] What is a LOCKED drive? The error message did not say DAMAGED nor INACCESSIBLE, just LOCKED.
[2] How will I boot from the USB drive, once the OS on it and the Boot Sector is also on the EXTERNAL drive, and not where the CPU Memory bootstrap program expects to find it?
Thanks for your help. [As a really old / obsolete guy I'd know exactly what to do if I had to toggle the bootstrap program in through the console switches of a PDP 8 or a Data General Nova.]

1. The volume was write-locked because it's corrupt. This invariably means that the drive has malfunctioned.
2. You can choose an alternative boot volume by holding down the option key at the startup chime.

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kytavares wrote:
I´m trying to transfer some files from my mcbook Pro retina display to external disc(usb) and i´m not able to. Anybody can help me in this case?
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