That Ubuntu 10.04 is also a Live CD. When you boot Live from it, it should give
you a menu after it detects itself on your hard drive for a repair. Or others
here more knowledgeable with it can advice further.

By the way, once lightning zapped my stuff, too. I replaced the desktop power
supply, battery, and reset the CMOS...success. Never had a cable modem, though,
but when I replaced my old DSL with a used $5.00 model, my router worked.