AFAIK, Excel import is bult into VFP and doesn't use any external components.
Are you 100% sure that you're referencing the same file in all cases?

>Well, I did that, and lo and behold, it's telling me that the excel file format is invalid (error 1661). This makes no sense at all. It works for me on the same excel file (the file is on the network, and we both point to it). Also, when he types the line manually into 'x-ray' (the command window type program), the excel file loads very nicely.
>
>This is way bizarre. We both have the same excel odbc driver and the same installation of excel. I have full vfp9 and he has vfp9 runtimes.
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>Any thoughts? I'm baffled.