Backup and reset or just reset?

[GrayWolf1958]

I would like to do a factory reset on my Samsung Galaxy S5 to get rid of some old junk, including pesky annoying adware. I'm not sure which option to choose, the backup and reset or just reset. I'm perfectly fine with deleting everything on the phone and restore data myself as needed, but was wondering if doing a backup and then let the device restore the data is worth the trouble (I am fairly tech savvy and I have a problem when software tries to be "smart" and tries to do things for you and then screws up).
Also, in application manager I see some applications under "SD CARD". Are those in my external SD card, and what happens when I wipe the phone?

Any advice welcome and appreciated.

Thanks

 

[svim]

Keep in mind that the 'backup' reference in your Settings is a bit misleading as it only refers to the Google/Android OS settings and configurations, it does not cover your data so things like photos, documents, music, and the config settings for apps you've installed. So if you don't have everything safely backed up, it's your responsibility to do so. And make sure you have some kind of record of your login name/passwords for various online services as you might have to re-enter them. A Factory Reset should be considered a last resort kind of thing when other less destructive measures don't fix a problem because it could require a lot of effort to do a complete restore.
The 'SD CARD' reference is another somewhat misleading thing. Applying odd reasoning the sdcard refers to your internal storage. Even though it's a solid state microchip soldered to the motherboard and not even an actual microSD card, that is still a reference to the internal storage media. Your actual, external microSD card will show as extsdcard or external storage.

 

[GrayWolf1958]

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I do have all my photos, music, etc. backed up both in an external sd card on the phone & on my computer, and all my passwords in a password vault application elsewhere. And I'm also aware of the distinction about the "internal" SD card and the external "real" SD card. What kinda threw me off is that in app manager some applications appear under "SD CARD", which made me wonder which one it referred to, and where would the applications not listed under SD Card be stored?

Anyway, I understand better now how this works, so this helped a lot. I've decided to do a factory reset, as drastic as it is, because for a while now the phone has refused to update to the latest Android OS saying there's not enough memory, no matter how much stuff I delete.

Thanks again

Keep in mind that the 'backup' reference in your Settings is a bit misleading as it only refers to the Google/Android OS settings and configurations, it does not cover your data so things like photos, documents, music, and the config settings for apps you've installed. So if you don't have everything safely backed up, it's your responsibility to do so. And make sure you have some kind of record of your login name/passwords for various online services as you might have to re-enter them. A Factory Reset should be considered a last resort kind of thing when other less destructive measures don't fix a problem because it could require a lot of effort to do a complete restore.
The 'SD CARD' reference is another somewhat misleading thing. Applying odd reasoning the sdcard refers to your internal storage. Even though it's a solid state microchip soldered to the motherboard and not even an actual microSD card, that is still a reference to the internal storage media. Your actual, external microSD card will show as extsdcard or external storage.

 

[svim]

.....What kinda threw me off is that in app manager some applications appear under "SD CARD", which made me wonder which one it referred to, and where would the applications not listed under SD Card be stored?

Yeah it is odd and misleading but just keep in mind references to sdcard are the equivalent to the internal storage media, and then anything with an 'ext...' or external or portable refer to a physical microSD card.

.....I've decided to do a factory reset, as drastic as it is, because for a while now the phone has refused to update to the latest Android OS saying there's not enough memory, no matter how much stuff I delete.

The internal storage media in your S5 has several partitions, most being dedicated solely to the operating system and one being your general data partition. A Factory Reset only wipes that user data partition clean, it does not have any effect on any of the OS partitions. Just something to keep in mind when you're evaluating 'available' storage space.