Would like to know the best way to convert my pocket word files (.pwi) to any compatible libre office format

You should be able to open .pwi files with LibreOffice (and then you can use LibreOffice to re-save them in whatever format you want). Make sure you have the libreoffice-filter-mobiledev package installed.

Thanks Eliah Kagan, that solved my question.

Actually spoke to soon. I downloaded the libreoffice small device format importer that has that package, but when I tried to open a pwi or pws file the help screen would come up and not leave no matter how many times I tried to close it. Also, the cpu seemed to be working very hard (making a lot of spinning noise). After about 3 minutes I shut down the system and tried again with the same result. So I removed that install. Thanks anyway.

Update. It looks like the libreoffice I was using already had the pocket word option as (.pws). I saw it after I removed the small device format importer I had just installed. However, the same event happened even when choosing a pws file to open - help screen keeps coming up and cpu sounds like it's working too hard, forcing me to shut down the system.

Why do you have to shut down the computer when this happens? Are you unable to force quit LibreOffice in the System Monitor?

I'm new to Ubuntu and I was actually looking for some sort of task manager to force quit programs as in Windows but couldn't find it in system settings. I've been looking through forums but it's hard to find a tutorial on the basics of this system or I'm missing something. It's embarrassing not knowing the basics and reading the forums only helps when you've got a similar problem with others. If you can point me to a link to get better educated on this system that would be great.

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

For general documentation for the system, see https://help.ubuntu.com and https://help.ubuntu.com/community.

If you are running the Unity interface (a panel, i.e. horizontal bar, at the top of the screen, no panel at the bottom of the screen, and an automatically hideable launcher on the left side of the screen for starting and keeping track of running programs), then you can run the System Monitor the same way you could start any application that is not pinned (i.e., always shown, even when not running) in your launcher. That is, you can click on the Home Button (the button at the upper-left corner of the screen with the Ubuntu logo on it), then search for the application--that is, start typing in system monitor until an icon for it appears for you to click on, then click the icon to run it.

In the System Monitor, you can view formation about any running program, and force almost any running program to quit, in the Processes tab.

Another way to run the System Monitor if you're using the Unity interface is to click the Home Button, click More Apps, on the right side of the Search Applications box click All Applications > System, then expand the spread of Installed Apps and click System Monitor.

If you are running a classic desktop session (not Unity; in a classic desktop, you have a top panel with menus, a bottom panel that shows your running programs, and no launcher) then you can run the System Monitor by going to System > Administration > System Monitor.

No matter what interface you are using, it is usually possible to run the System Monitor by pressing Alt+F2, typing in gnome-system-monitor, and pressing enter.

When you attempt to open a .pwi file in LibreOffice and LibreOffice freezes, are you able to quit it using the System Monitor? (The process name is soffice.bin.)

Can you create a very simple .pwi file that produces this problem and post it on the web so I can see if I have the same problem? If you can do this and I don't have the same problem, this may help lead to a solution to your problem; if I do, then you will have done most of the work necessary to then report this as a bug.