[Hisense Sero 7 Pro ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & Ot] Ronin_Jedi:
I think I wore my fingers and Sero7 out typing this.?

"I initially was going to just continue using xboxexpert Rom, as I really liked the UI and I never had any issues with performance. However, if I recall .... either he was no longer the dev on that project, or the most recent update wasn't that recent."

[RJ] It is my understanding that he's no longer developing a Sero 7 ROM. Other commitments and life.

"The reason I choose to go with the previous DoPa 5 version was because based on what I was reading it offered a more stable "guarantee" vs. flashing a newer Rom that was still being considered beta, and maybe not all (if any) bugs had been discovered yet. And the only other reason was thinking of starting with Lollipop. From the stories I've read, it has made me a little hesitant going with Marshmallow."

[RJ] First DOPA 5 IS A NEWER VERSION, just not the newEST!

I am certainly no 'expert' but you'll be fine with either ROM.

Lollypop IS a bit more stable than Marshmallow but it also is 'dated'. So if want to try upgrading to Lollypop fitrst, no complaints on my end. But I found Lollypop sluggish but stable; part of it memory as internal RAM is very limited and consumed quickly. Hence my desire to push the envelope as Marshmallow was suppose to offer more flexibility.

Marshmallow is newer technology. Among others, it has the ability to tweak privacy settings on individual apps without the need for a memory-consuming add-onlike Exposed-based xPrivacy, more flexibility over usage (SUPPOSE to be able to run apps off external SD card), and more. Research Marshmallow vs Lollypop on Internet.

But admittedly, until recently, DOPA ROM (managed by dolorespark), has been somewhat unstable - BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!. Many have reported no issues or no major issues.

Sadly, I was one of the ones impacted. Much of these are probably do to slightly different hardware configurations HiSense (no sense I mean) made between devices including different memory chips, tweaks to their systemware, etc. And DOPA attempts to support US/UK/DE et all versions, which only complicates things that much more as configs vary by country as well.

(Accolades to dolorespark for taking this on himself!!!!)

Now, with dolorespark's latest 'beta', things are much MORE stable for me. This is especially true after I:

A) Starting removing my micro-SD card after using it to transfer data, and not leaving it in the device; AND

B) Followed dolorespark's suggestion and modifying the System's Buildprop file to implement Marshmallow's low RAM management. (How to do this is in installation instructions on first page.)

C) Periodically clearing the cache on SELECTED INDIVIDUAL apps. Tapatalk, SmartNews, Netflix and more, WILL have large caches built up over time if allowed. Tapatalk's had grown to 1.9GB at one time!!!

Biggest impacts for me were, I believe, items #B and #C. While I have had some 'stalls' (glitches) since changing the buildprop settings, my device has NOT locked up totally frozen AT ALL. And this is after leaving it on FOR DAYS, a timeframe that certainly would have resulted a in frozen state in the past.

I believe the main issue here is that there are just tooooo many background things happening, memory not getting flushed, slow read/writes to the external SD card, etc, causing the device to lock up in past.

So, manage those and I believe Marshmallow will be pretty solid. BTW: dolorespark stated he is close to releasing another Marshmallow upgrade.

"Regarding the SDCard, I have both 16gb and 32gb... Probably pop in the 16gb first, and when it fills up (which will likely be sooner than I'd like) put in the 32 then."

[RJ] It isn't the size of the card, per se, based on what dolorespark was saying about SD cards. It is the version (class) of technology it is using (memory management, read-write protocols, etc.) Dolorespark's advice is to stick with a Class 4 card. My 64GB is, I believe, a Class 10 card or close to it. No known way to upgrade the ROM software governing the micro-SD port.

"As for GApps, I think I got conflicting info. Do I need to install the very scaled down nano pkg, or can I get by with the not as much micro version?"

[RJ] Version choice is totally up to you. The differences relate to which Google apps are included in the installable zip file. Most of these (all?) can be downloaded and installed from Google Store AFTER you get your new ROM installed and device booted.

I want the minimalist I need to get device running and able to connect to Google Play (stupid name) Store. So it's the pico version for me - the barest minimum.

Obviously, part of my reasoning was - if you didn't catch it already - the amount of memory the GApp packages would take up. In a compressed state, they can be 169MB +.

I want as much free space in RAM as possible, and I don't need or want most of what Google offers. (Separate Search Bar w/Microphone always on??? Not me. Spent toooo many years in a certain country in Asia, thank you very much!!!!)

"I've read the instructions intended for "upgrade" -> devices that currently have current root + (any) custom rom other than stock..... So is this the best guide to follow.... in my situation:

Root

: I may have some corrupted files- and I actually don't recall what SU was downloaded, so I would feel more comfortable re-rooting.

Rom/data

: I will be going from xboxexpert's rom w/ CWM to DoPa's rom and I DO NOT need to do any type of /data backup first, plusI don't care if I lose the current rom since I'm changing it anyways, so do I still need to a backup of the current /system? Or should I just have a backup of the original stock build... OR... perhaps do I flash back to stock first? Crap, and I thought this was going to be a no brainer!

GApps

, your opinion on which version of Android - 5 or 6? And what file, nano or micro?"

[RJ] Can you boot your device at all or does it still loop? Guess not if using son's computer attached to Sero.

I would try re-Rooting using another rooting app and see if it can boot on its own. Chainfire's version was the one I used, if my memory is correct.

If won't boot, maybe have truly corrupted ROM. In this case, and after installing TRP - as you will need this to move to Marshmallow (Lollypop too if my memory ....?), I'd take the leap and erase everything and do a fresh ROM install (Lollypop or Marshmallow, your call). Hopefully no looping. Shutdown, re-boot and test again.

With TRP you should be able to make a back-up first, before installing new ROM. That said, if nothing really important on device, I wouldn't worry about it - blow it all away. As for making copy of original Sero 7 state, this was a one-way street; I wasn't going back to Jellybean or whatever was first on it. YMMV.

NOTE: Keep in mind their MAY be some pop-up messages as you boot up first time or three. It MAY take several reboots for these to flush out. You DO have an issue if the system completely hangs - freezes.

"Oh, BTW! I have a SanDisk Wireless Flash Drive (love LOVE it)"

[RJ] Cool! May need to get me one or have someone reward me!!!!?

"Once I have my network connected, do you think there would be any issues with loading zip files thru WiFi for future updates, or should I stick to using my PC?"

[RJ] If the new ROM installed correctly, no looping issues, and assuming no physical damage to WiFi chip, I don't see why not. ALL of my upgrades have been via WiFi to local Download directory on device.