Wiping the Cache Partition:

Clearing the cache partition can oftentimes solve issues on your phone, just like applying a master reset would. The advantage of clearing the cache is that, unlike a factory reset, the process will not delete personal data stored on your device. To perform this operation:

1. Turn off your smartphone
2. Press and hold the "Volume up", "Home" and "Power" buttons simultaneously
3. Once the Samsung Galaxy splash screen pops-up, release the "Power" button but keep holding the other two
4. When the "Android System Recovery" screen appears, you can release the "Volume up" and "Home" keys as well
5. From the menu, press the "Volume Down" button to navigate to "wipe cache partition"
6. Press "Power" to select the option
7. After wiping the cache, highlight "reboot system now" and press the "Power" button

NOTE: if clearing the cache did not fix the issues, move on to master resetting the device.

Master Resetting From the Settings Menu:

WARNING! Applying a factory reset will delete personal data stored on the phone's storage, including custom ringtones, audio files, images, apps, contacts and downloaded content. This process will not affect data stored on the SD and SIM cards.

1. If necessary, back up your data before proceeding
2. From the home screen, press the "Menu" button
3. Tap "Settings" and go to the "General" tab
4. Tap "Back up and reset"
5. Optionally, clear the "Automatic restore" and "Back up my data" check boxes
6. Tap "Factory data reset" > "Reset device"
7. If your handset is protected by a PIN or password, enter it and tap "Continue"
8. Tap "Delete all"

Master Resetting Using Hardware Buttons:

WARNING! Just as before, master resetting your device will result in the deletion of personal data stored on your phone's memory. This doesn't include the SIM and SD cards.

Use the method of hard resetting, assuming that you are not able to apply a factory reset from the settings menu.

1. If necessary and possible, back up your data
2. Power off the smartphone if needed
3. Press and hold "Volume Up", "Home" and "Power" at the same time
4. Let go of the "Power" key when the Galaxy splash screen appears
5. Keep holding the "Volume up" and "Home" buttons until the "Android System Recovery" screen appears
6. From the recovery screen, press the "Volume down" button to highlight "wipe data / factory reset"
7. Press "Power"
8. Highlight "delete all user data" and press "Power" again to confirm the selected option
9. After your phone applies the factory reset, "Reboot system now" should be highlighted
10. Press "Power" and your device will reboot in normal mode

Safe Mode Management

NOTE: Enabling safe mode can be a great way to uninstall malicious third party applications that would otherwise prevent you from removing them. In safe mode, all third party apps are disabled

Enabling Safe Mode:

1. Power off the device
2. Press and hold the "Power" button
3. After the "Galaxy" splash screen appears, release the "Power" button and immediately press and hold "Volume Down"
4. Keep holding the volume key until the device restarts completely
5. A "Safe mode" message should be present in the lower-left corner of the screen

Uninstalling an App in Safe Mode:

1. While in safe mode, press the "Menu" button from the home screen
2. Tap "Settings"
3. Access the "General" tab
4. Tap "Application manager" and swipe to the "Downloaded" screen
5. Select the app that you wish to remove
6. Tap "Uninstall" > "OK"
7. To disable safe mode and reboot in normal mode, press and hold "Power" and tap "Restart"