int fd;
        long wrote;
 
-       switch (ntohl(ce->ce_mode) & S_IFMT) {
+       switch (ce->ce_mode & S_IFMT) {
                char *new;
                struct strbuf buf;
                unsigned long size;
                        strcpy(path, ".merge_file_XXXXXX");
                        fd = mkstemp(path);
                } else
-                       fd = create_file(path, ntohl(ce->ce_mode));
+                       fd = create_file(path, ce->ce_mode);
                if (fd < 0) {
                        free(new);
                        return error("git-checkout-index: unable to create file %s (%s)",
                 * to emulate by hand - much easier to let the system
                 * just do the right thing)
                 */
-               unlink(path);
                if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
                        /* If it is a gitlink, leave it alone! */
-                       if (S_ISGITLINK(ntohl(ce->ce_mode)))
+                       if (S_ISGITLINK(ce->ce_mode))
                                return 0;
                        if (!state->force)
                                return error("%s is a directory", path);
                        remove_subtree(path);
-               }
+               } else if (unlink(path))
+                       return error("unable to unlink old '%s' (%s)", path, strerror(errno));
        } else if (state->not_new)
                return 0;
        create_directories(path, state);