Mainly we restore images (and copy partitions) to the same size or larger partitions. But occasionally we need to use a smaller partition as the target. Can it be done? Sometimes. It depends on the data spread in the source partition. Ghost copies sectors in use and restores them in the same relative position, so the sectors have to fit in the target partition. For example…
If your original partition was…( * is sectors in use, - is free space)
[—----–]
then the target partition to restore into can not be smaller than…
[—----]
The following will not work although it has space for the data, [****-]
It has been suggested to defragment the source partition prior to running Ghost as this will shift sectors to the start of the partition. However there are unmovable sectors in the partition and defragging usually fails if the target partition is significantly smaller than the source partition.
The best method is to use a partitioning app and resize the source partition to the same size as the target partition. Then create your backup image. Now the source partition can be resized back to its original size if desired.
If you are not familiar with partitioning apps, ask for assistance. Beware of using legacy apps with Vista and Win7 partitions that have 2048 sector alignment. Your OS may no longer boot if you change the alignment.