Visual Basic .NET -- Disappearing Project Type

Apologies if this duplicates any threads. I only checked six pages.

Why is the setup and deployment project type disappearing from the "Add New Project" window? More importantly, how can I get it back? It doesn't even show up for new projects.

Background: Visual Basic .NET 2003, creating a console application intended to be run on a Windows 2000 Server and scheduled for daily execution by an instance of SQL Server 2000 to generate e-mail messages and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets showing technicians who have signed up how many open work orders they have and some of the more important details about them (the work orders, not the technicians -- sorry about that). It's all working great, but I'm having a terrible time actually deploying the project.

I can build the entire solution, install the application on my own system, etc., but at some point in the process I lose the ability to add a setup/deployment project to the solution -- and to any new solutions for that matter . Also having trouble getting it to install correctly on other computers, though I know to check for the presence of MDAC and to install the .NET runtime first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.