A computer boot apparatus and related method use a primary boot component (PBC) that is fixedly mounted in the computer. The PBC has a firmware element that is a non-volatile memory comprising a boot critical portion with instructions that initiate a boot of the computer. The PBC also has a policy manager and a version identifier. The PBC initializes the computer boot via the boot critical portion. The policy manager verifies and authenticates a secondary boot component that is removably attached to the computer.