Imac reboots at start up then beeps

I wonder if anyone can help. Please.
When I start up my mac I get a gray screen with the apple, then a blue screen, then it goes black and restarts. Then it goes to a gray screen, beeps twice, then continues to beep three times, over and over.
I've tried holding down the C key with the disk that came with the mac but it wont start from it. I got a message saying I needed to restart my machine.
I read that three beeps mean it might be the RAM so I took it out (there is one in one slot) and put it back in again. But maybe it should be replaced completely?
I'm not sure what else to do. It sounds pretty bad to me and I stupidly don't have a back-up of anything on there. Argh!
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very grateful.
Thanks

It probably is the RAM, but try resetting the PRAM to see if that helps. Otherwise, you should probably order new RAM, most come with a lifetime guarantee, so contact the vendor and ask for a replacement.

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