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Como a ligação caiu, não instalei a atualização.

Como a ligação caiu, não instalei a atualização.
Since the connection dropped, I did not install the update.
From Lesson 226:Sentence-initial causes (como...)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Como a ligação caiu, não instalei a atualização.

Why is Como used here instead of Porque to mean 'since' or 'because'?
When you want to state the cause before the result at the very beginning of the sentence, Portuguese uses Como. If you wanted to use porque, you would usually put the cause in the second half of the sentence: Não instalei a atualização porque a ligação caiu.
Can I put como in the middle of the sentence, like 'Não instalei a atualização como a ligação caiu'?
No, when como means 'because' or 'since', it is almost exclusively used at the beginning of the sentence. If you want to put the cause in the middle, you should switch to porque or visto que.
Does caiu literally mean 'fell' here?
Yes, caiu is the simple past tense of cair (to fall). Just like in English where an internet or phone connection can 'drop', in Portuguese it 'falls'. It is the standard, everyday way to say you lost your connection.
Why are both verbs (caiu and instalei) in the simple past tense (Pretérito Perfeito) rather than the imperfect?
Both actions are viewed as completed events rather than ongoing background situations. The connection dropped suddenly at a specific moment (caiu), and as a direct result, the single action of installing the update did not happen (não instalei).

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