Do I need to update Windows 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10?

I've got about 400-500 MB of recommended updates for my HP laptop running on Windows 8.1, from about January of this year. I avoided installing them because I had a problem with one of the updates where it stalled and I had to hard reboot the computer, and also because I haven't been using the laptop much so I just put if off. So I would prefer to avoid updating Windows 8.1 and just go ahead and upgrade to Windows 10. Also to save time and disk space.

So, does it matter if I skip updating Windows 8.1?

(I don't think any are driver updates, but hard to say for sure because a lot of them don't give a description of what the update actually does. The laptop runs fine, no issues.)

Jason2016 said:

I've got about 400-500 MB of recommended updates for my HP laptop running on Windows 8.1, from about January of this year. I avoided installing them because I had a problem with one of the updates where it stalled and I had to hard reboot the computer, and also because I haven't been using the laptop much so I just put if off. So I would prefer to avoid updating Windows 8.1 and just go ahead and upgrade to Windows 10. Also to save time and disk space.

So, does it matter if I skip updating Windows 8.1?

(I don't think any are driver updates, but hard to say for sure because a lot of them don't give a description of what the update actually does. The laptop runs fine, no issues.)

Asking your question twice?

You don't any updates to upgrade to Windows 10 from here:
Windows 10

I remembered from last year there were updates that supposedly prepared the machine for the transition process. I suspect these were installed by January 2016? If true, then one should get away with not installing updates since.

Hey, thanks for the answers. But I have one more question.

First it downloads the upgrade, 3GB, took two hours, then it said *Preparing Your Computer for Upgrade and that took another hour and a half.
Then it gave me a choice, install the upgrade now or install it later. If I choose to install it later, does that mean I can turn the computer off and it will let me do the installation the next time I turn it on? Or does it just mean I can wait till later but I must keep my computer on otherwise I lose the download and then I will have to download it again? If I choose to install it later, do I still need internet access when I do it later? It's because I don't have internet at home so I download at the library, but I ran out of time. Can I download there and then install it later at home?

I think you will be OK to do it later and turn off computer, but I am not 100% positive on that. The deadline is only 2 days away, so if you want it for free I would do whatever you have to do to get it done. It will probably have to have an internet connection briefly to activate once it is upgraded, but you shouldn't have to have a connection to do the upgrade itself.

After the upgrade without internet - when you do get connected to the internet (which you need to do before the deadline, end of July 29th), trigger the activation by right clicking on the start icon (Windows icon, lower left on the task bar), select command prompt (admin). In the command prompt windows run:

slmgr /ato