Startup issue with Mavericks?

I've installed Mavericks on my 2010 MacAir. Yesterday I couldn't get half the programs to start (Adobe programs) so I had to give permission to read and write to my entire hard drive to fix the problem. When I started up today I have an Apple logo and a revolving wheel, for the first hour. Then I reboot into safe mode and same as before, except a bar telling me it's loading. Now I'm waiting, how long do I have to wait? And is there a work around, so I can at least transfer all my photos?