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#21
First sentence from the below link, "Run and RunOnce registry keys cause programs to run each time that a user logs on."
Run and RunOnce Registry Keys (Windows)
The programs in the RunOnce key do not run until the user logs on. What you're talking about is things happening during your logon process once you've initiated it, which is what slows you getting to your desktop. However, none of them are run until you hit enter to log in (or once the logon process is started by some other means).
Everything is running as SYSTEM prior to a user logon, which is why/how you can do some interesting/nefarious tricks to get to a command prompt with full privileges before even logging on to the computer.