I would suggest the first thing to do is check your HD for errors. Rather than using the Disk Utility directlt in OS X, boot off your OS X installation disks but rather than starting an install load the Disk Utility from the apps menu.
If you use the Disk Utility to check the HD directly from OS X it may fail because OS X locks the boot volume.
Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.