Backuping up Applications Folder

I was going to backup my applications folder, but i had one question;

if simply drag and drop it from the DVD back to the applications folder to restore it, then would the applications run?

it should work, unless there is a license code/key. Which I believe is placed in the user library -> preferences folder.

Some applications might not work. Applications that use an installer might install files that are needed to run the program in a different location. For example, some programs install application support files in your user's folder library.

The best way to back up your applications folder is to clone your hard drive to an external drive using a program like SuperDuper!. If that's not an option, keep copies of your original install files for your non-Mac applications in a special folder on your hard drive so you can reinstall a program if you need to. Your Mac OS X applications can be reinstalled from your original install disk.

Hope that helps.

Claire