User61956409 posted
Hi robs23,
uncheck "Delete all files prior to publish" option. The easiest solution, not necessairly the best one. What are the downsides actually?
If not check "Delete all files prior to publish" option, some outdated files or files not in use might be preserved on the web server.
make "Files" being a virtual folder of some folder above project folder (which won't get deleted during publish). I don't know excatly how to do that.
Yes, you can make "Files" being a virtual folder, to achieve it, you can refer to the following document.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/configuration/system.applicationhost/sites/site/application/virtualdirectory#how-to-create-a-new-virtual-directory
With Regards,
Fei Han