[AccessD] Access output to Excel

I have an Excel worksheet (Excel 2002 SP3) with some named spaces.
In Access (A2000) I have these named spaces as linked tables.
I can read these tables (VB) as DAO.recordset just like any other table,
However I cannot write to these tables.  
vb tells me its write protected.
the xls file is NOT write protected.
I have unprotected the worksheet.

what else can be wrong?

thanks 
Lembit