Macbook Pro Problems

[Christine684]

I have a 2009 Macbook Pro 13". I've never had any problems with it before, nor have I done anything to beef it up. Just used casually.
I did the hardware update the other day and after many unsuccessful attempts at installing, I finally got it to work. Or so I thought. I restarted the computer and it is now taking over an hour to fully load from startup. Once the desktop has fully loaded, it takes 15+ minutes to even start a program. Do I need to replace the RAM, or could it be the hard drive?
I have most of my files backed up on My Passport (currently formatted to Mac), but I can't back up anything that is currently on the desktop - I would be there for months since it is so slow. I have an appointment at the Genius Bar this weekend, but I already know they are going to try to screw me blind for the cost of the repairs.
My next issue is, I have photos on My Passport that I desperately need in 2 weeks. Is there a way to reformat the files on My Passport to be readable on Microsoft without losing them?
Please help!

 

[hackintosh777]

I have a 2009 Macbook Pro 13". I've never had any problems with it before, nor have I done anything to beef it up. Just used casually.
I did the hardware update the other day and after many unsuccessful attempts at installing, I finally got it to work. Or so I thought. I restarted the computer and it is now taking over an hour to fully load from startup. Once the desktop has fully loaded, it takes 15+ minutes to even start a program. Do I need to replace the RAM, or could it be the hard drive?
I have most of my files backed up on My Passport (currently formatted to Mac), but I can't back up anything that is currently on the desktop - I would be there for months since it is so slow. I have an appointment at the Genius Bar this weekend, but I already know they are going to try to screw me blind for the cost of the repairs.
My next issue is, I have photos on My Passport that I desperately need in 2 weeks. Is there a way to reformat the files on My Passport to be readable on Microsoft without losing them?
Please help!

What do you mean by a "hardware update"?

About the photos, if you have another Mac to use (preferably OS X 10.6 or later) you can copy your files to the hard drive, reformat the external HDD in Disk Utility to exFAT (will delete all your files) and copy them back. Then both Mac and Windows can read them.