Hey there Crypt,
There is, basically what you will want to do is create an image of your operating system, containing all of the applications you have installed. Applications such as Acronis, or Norton Ghost, can get that done for you. Products that require activation may ask you to re-activate it, after loading the image you create, but that's a minor issue compared to having to re-load everything from scratch.
Without a backup in place, it's impossible. Anytime you install an application there are entries added to the Windows registry. It's basically like a road-map for applications to know which Windows applications and resources to use, in order to run the application properly. Without that road map, in the registry, there's no telling how the application will perform...it could work properly, then again it may not perform to your liking.
If you want the most reliable way to backup applications, without having to reload them is, then I'm afraid a backup solution is the only way. It copies all of the registry files, Windows files, and everything required for said applications to run properly.