I have several files in my setup project that I want to have available on the CD in the rare case that the user needs them, but I do not want them installed in the target directory. (It's a Marketing thing - they don't want users poking around in these files unless we tell them where to find them.) I do not see a way in Studio 2005 setup projects to include files on the CD but not actually install them.

Any suggestions?

I'm not quite sure what the issue is here. Why can't you just put those other files on the CD image?

It's an issue of automating the build process so that it will be idiot-proof for the next programmer who follows (whenever that may be). If they have to manually create a directory or two in the build output directory and then drag and drop files from several locations, you can imagine the potential for errors.

I'd like to have files on the CD (to be used by our distributors) but not in the install directory (visible to end users, as curious and creative as they are). We tightly control the configuration of the systems we ship, so if the system goes belly up the user is required to send it back to us to rebuild it to make sure it's configured correctly.

Maybe a post-build step would work. I've done that in these cases. I added an empty C++ project (they have more post-build capabilities) to copy files around and run programs.