Ubuntu 10.04 corrupt HD after update, boot to initramfs

Hi there,

I installed 10.04 server a few weeks ago and it's been running fine daily, no issues. I install virtual box and make a VM of 10.04. I update the VM with synaptic, leave it to update and come back to find a black screen, no response. So I reboot the physical machine and it seems to be fried. Boots into initramfs but I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to a linux console so I'm not sure what to do next...

What I've done so far:

- used 10.04 CD to check RAM (passed)
- used CD to check integrity of Install CD (passed)
- Tried to boot to live CD to get files off but it failed - just hangs at 'UBUNTU' splash screen (Weird!)
- Install fresh 10.04 (also just hangs)

I'd like to get some files off before I reformat/nuke the HDD. What commands are there in the initramfs console that could help?

The errors given before the initramfs prompt are:

- mounting /dev on /root/dev failed: No such file or directory
- mounting /sys on /root/sys failed: No such file or directory
- mounting /proc on /root/proc failed: No such file or directory
Target filesystem doen't have /sbin/init
No init found. Try passing init= bootarg

Thanks in advance!

Core2-Duo 2x 1.8GHz
1G RAM
Western Digital SATA 250GB HDD