David,
In Tools/Startup there is an option to "hide Database Window", which will
hide your database objects during form load.
However, your Access menus will still display during initial form load.
I'm not sure how a "run-time" version can act differently in that regard
from one machine to the next, but let me deal with the second part of your
question.
Have you tried using a "splash screen?" My splash screen opens up to
display a nice scenic picture, and on that picture, I also display an
application title like "XYZ Corporation Inventory System", and in small
type... "Developed by... (your business info), and any version, copyright,
and date information about the application. It's an attractive way to stall
for time while the app loads...
I use a timer to close the splash screen automatically after 5 seconds
and open the first "working" form, or... the user can "click" on the splash
screen to force it to close early and then open the first working form.
hth
Al Camp