Did I accidently ruin my ECM by turning the ignition key on to release the steering lock?

[Jim Hollander at Hot Grips Mfg., Inc.]

I just had a horrible thought, vaguely recalling that you should never 
remove the ECU with the ignition key on.  I might have done some damage to 
it today, sort of a different twist on the same theme.  I am not having a 
good day today at all.

Picked up my '91 200 TQ 20v today at the local Audi (non-dealer)shop. They 
had not been able to get it running on the "no-start" problem and suspected 
that the ECU might be bad due to no power at pin 25 on the large multi-pin 
connector.

I went to pickup the car on a tilt-bed car carrier from their parking area, 
and the ECM was disconnected and sitting on the Audi floor.  They asked if I 
wanted them to hook it back up and without thinking of the consequences I 
said not to bother.  I put the ignition key in the ignition and turned it so 
as to enable steering the car straight as the winch pulled the car up onto 
the car carrier.

I forgot to turn the key off and it stayed on, with the dash lights lit, for 
the next 40 minutes while driving it home.  Then when I got the car home I 
went to reinstall the ECM and heard some noise, indicating the ignition was 
on.  I reached over and turned it off, re-installed the ECM.  Did this 
sequence of events fry the ECM (if it wasn't already bad)?  I feel like a 
real idiot.  You really shouldn't mess with these cars if you really don't 
have all the caution rules as part of your DNA.  You know all of those 
warnings that you never read in the Bentley manuals (like no one reads when 
assembling a Sears item...)  I guess this time I learned an expensive lesson 
in why you have to read them...and remember them.

Jim in NH