Free (preferably cold) imaging software for SSD/W7

Good Day,

since I've just completed a fresh install of W7 x64 on a new rig, I am looking for a no-frills free imaging software.

I actually only need a basic functionality:
- possibility to create a bootable USB recovery media (and make cold backup and recovery using booting from USB recovery media... the images will be stored on a separate physical HDD, I don't wanna hassle with CD/DVD/Blu-Ray etc.)
- possibility of create image of the entire system partition (no need for incremential/specified folders/files backup, only whole system partition)
- compatibility with the newest breed of SSD Drives (specifically Indilinx Everest chipset ie. Vertex 4), by this I mean partition alignment after recovery from image etc.
- possibility to make a hot backup would be welcome, but not required

And just one more question: I am going to install a Linux distro on a second partition of SSD, would restoring an image also erase the Linux loader with OS selection screen? ...sorry for a lame question

Any suggestions? Paragon? Macrium?

Thank you in advance

 

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