I bought Office 2007 Home & Student and installed it on a desktop with MS Windows XP and also on a laptop with Vista Home Premium.
The desktop had previously had Office 2003 and the laptop MS Works 8.5.
My problem is: On the desktop I have no trouble with work that was done on Word 2003 and I can save as 2003 compatible. However, if I use my USB flash drive to work on my laptop with work done in 2003 compatible form on desktop all I get is a load of gobbledegook on the screen. What can I do to stop this happening?
Windows Works is different from Word and you need an interpreter to read Works documents in Word. Don’t ask me why, but MS sucks in this way. You can download an interpreter from the NET. I’ll find it if I get time, but you should find it easily.
Best bet is, as soon as you can open them, save then to Office formats.
If you cant do it, open it in Works and then copy and paste to a text file. Copy the text file to the PC on Office and paste in. You’ll lose all the formatting but it’ll be in an Office format then 
Save them as RTF and all will be fine…Works uses a modified save format…stupid of MS but only way to get people to upgrade…can’t fault them on file format. In Word you can also open works 7.0 wps files but 8.5 nope… so save in older format or RTF is the work around…or try http://www.umsl.edu/technology/instructionalcomputing/docs/Works%20to%20Word%20Conversion.pdf steps
Good luck