Exporting / Importing .xls from Access 97

Hi All,

I've been tasked with producing a database system, which involves engineers on site using access to 'sendobject' XLS formatted data to the server, where it is 'tranferspreadsheet'ed into the master Access database. The problem is the file format sems to be incompatible, using Access 97. If I open the sent sheet in excel and save it again in any of the other XLS formats it works fine.

Is there any way round this, before I lose what little hair I have left.

Iain