Why not use the latest 2.5.5 of TuneECU? It's just a download away. Is there some specific reason? (I'm an IT guy by day so I tend to try to upgrade software, reasoning that they probably fixed bugs... and added features.)
Anyway - and this is coming from a newbie TuneECU user so I'm not an authority in any way shape or form - the reason to reset adaptations is to make the ECU which is, after all, what manages the engine forget everything it learned with the old tune. The ECU isn't a static thing, it takes readings from the sensors and uses those to optimize the engine so it runs according to specifications. Every engine is going to be different in how it runs; you can't make one engine identical to the next as they're built from a plethora of parts with some minor give in the size specifications, so that's why an ECU is learning - so it can tune how the engine operates to achieve a certain level of efficiency without having to hand-tune every engine.
A learning ECU will also constantly keep adjusting the settings as the engine ages, keeping it in tune even as things change, so it doesn't need manual retuning every time you turn around.
I would presume that even if you don't reset adaptations, the ECU will eventually adapt, as it will continue to learn. But resetting it to a default state and then running it for the 12-15-whatever minutes allows it to put a rough approximation into place over those 15 minutes. Then just ride and it will get closer to the ideal as you go.
At least that is my understanding of the process. It's possible that not resetting can be catastrophic, I suppose, but I have to kind of doubt it. But hopefully some of the real gurus can chime in.