I'm not too surprised that no one has responded to this question since there is not much on the Internet about it. I wonder if it seems like a non-MIUI question and thus ignored? LOL
I main reason I suspect(ed) a MIUI cause is that I did not have this specific problem with other ROM builds before 2.11.16.
At any rate, I started another attempt at loading the 2.11.16 zip, which solved the problem in the past. Here is what happened next, in case it helps someone else.
1. Wiped cache
2. Wiped Dalvik
3. Tried to locate the zip, but suddenly got the green robot with spinning icon with every menu choice I chose.
I saw to error messages.
1. my ext sd card was not accessible somehow (didn't write this down, so I can't remember the wording)).
2. Back button disabled.
I eventually I got the phone turned off and restarted. This time, to my surprise, I could access Developer options and then connect the phone.
So I begin to wonder if I have phone or sd card problem. IE - if Developer options crashes, could it be to the external card not being recognized properly even though it appears in the file mangers, etc. Hopefully the upgrade will tell.