Setup projects are used to create Windows Installer (.msi) files, which are used to distribute your application for installation on another computer or Web server. There are two types of setup projects. Standard setup projects create installers that install Windows applications on a target computer; Web setup projects create installers that install Web applications on a Web server.

Note   Web Setup Projects are not available in the Standard Edition of Visual Basic .NET. For more information, see Visual Basic Standard Edition Features.

To create a new setup project

1. On the File menu, point to Add Project, and then click New Project.
2. In the resulting Add New Project dialog box, select the Setup and Deployment Projects folder.
3. Choose Setup Project for a standard setup, or Web Setup Project for a Web.

To add an existing setup project to a solution

1. On the File menu, point to Add Project, and then click Existing Project.
2. In the resulting Add Existing Project dialog box, browse to the location of the setup project and click Open.

See Also

Deploying Applications | Deployment Projects | Setting Deployment Project Properties | Adding Items to a Deployment Project | What's New in Deployment