Regarding swapping hard disk controllers to recover data from a non-functioning hard disk, will the wrong controller corrupt the data on the hard disk if I only try to read this data (and not write new data to this drive)? I realize that I should try to match the controller exactly, but if it is not available, as on eBay, do I risk data loss with a near match of controllers–for example, a controller from the same manufacturer and series of hard drives, but of a different size than the drive which is not functioning (e.g., 240 MB, not 340 MB)? Elsewhere, there are discussion threads noting that even two supposedly identical controllers can differ and that sometimes a manufacturer may use the same controller for more than one model: I am not trying to argue the unknown, but rather trying to find out if just trying to read the data is dangerous. That is, is it OK to look, but not touch, or do I get to the point of touching willy-nilly?
