MB pro shuts off after bootup chime,  hd damaged/volumeheader related - disk utility can't repair - how do i recover/backup my files??

Hi guys,
My macbook pro late(dec) 2011, doesn't boot up anymore, it just turns off after the chime (whilst a gray bar is loading a bit and then the MB shuts off)...
This all happened after I upgraded to mavericks, safari and chrome were spontaneously shutting off, my macbook kept restarting (all after recommended app store updates), it had kernel panics etc. Last night after an update it just wouldn't boot up anymore! Pff.. what should i do?
Disk utility can't repair the damaged HD, it had something to do with volume headers..
I basically want to access my macbook's files and documents so that i can transfer them onto an external hd or back them up.. i just want my files afterwards i can reformat or whatever as long as i get the files and contents of my hd back..
Ive read of diskwarrior? Can i burn that on a dvd and insert it into my mac, then start my mac and then it allows me to drag and drop all the contents of my hd onto an external hd?
I need a genius to help me!! A step by step guide would really mean the world to me!!
Thanks in advance mysterious genius!!!

Step 4(a) open Disk Utility from Utilities on the menu bar, then proceed to highlight the external drive in the left sidebar as you say and choosing Partition from the row of buttons that appear top center in the main window of DU.
5(a) click Restore on the bar of buttons top center of the main DU window, then what you say.  But use the name you have given the external drive in step 4, Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) is the way it has been formatted, use a name such as Backup or something obvious to you.
Step 7, On the menu bar, click File, then New Finder Window.  In the left sidebar you will see Devices and the internal and external drives will be listed.  Click the name of the external drive and then in the main part of the window you should see the contents of the external drive.  You can click on the folder for Users, then your user name, and see what folders appear...make sure the folders such as Documents, Pictures and whatever else you use appear and have the content you expect to be there.
You want to be sure all the content has been copied over since the step of erasing the internal drive is going to permanently remove it from that drive.
And then after step 8, add step 9, from Utilities on the menu bar, choose Install Mac OS X, and if it asks where to install, choose the internal, Macintosh HD, as where to install.

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