[X4U] Why Does Flash Disk Need Initialization by OS9 ?

[Jerry Krinock]

I bought an Alfa Xlive MP3 player from Hong Kong.  It has 256 MB
flash memory for storing audio.  It turns out to be a wonderful product,
after I first connected its USB cable to an old Mac booted into OS9.  Prior
to that, it would not mount in OSX.  But after that "initialization" in OS9,
it works fine in OSX (10.3 on two different Macs).

I'd like to help these folks in Hong Kong get their documentation straight
for other Mac users, but I don't speak Chinese, their English is poor except
that they are clear they "don't know difference between Mac OS9 and OSX".

Does anyone know why this thing would not have mounted in OSX until it was
"initialized" by mounting in OS9?  Now that it works, it looks similar to a
"smart card"; it mounts as "NO NAME", etc.

Jerry Krinock
San Jose, CA  USA