Resetting the Immutables

How you go about using input managers when you really need to.

The only sure-fire way to lock interlopers out of your input managers directories is to crush them under the system extended flags. These flags require single user mode to be reset.

You may never need to install a real input manager, but if you do, here's how you do it. If you're sober you should be through without a mishap in five minutes.

1. Start by rebooting into single user mode. This is simple. Start a reboot and hold down ⌘-S. You'll get the first screen you're used to seeing, and then all of a sudden things will go totally MVS operator console on you.

2. Watch the output. Somewhere along the line it will mention that your file system's come up read-only and it will instruct you how to make it writable.

3. The first command should be to run fsck and be something along these lines.
   
   /sbin/fsck -y
   
   You need the '-y' because you want to automatically answer 'yes' to all suggestions to fix the file system; you need to keep running this until you see the familiar 'seems to be OK'.
   
   You might also need the '-f' switch - use whatever you are prompted to use.

4. At this point you run the second and final command.
   
   /sbin/mount -uw /
   
   The 'u' says you're updating an already mounted system; the 'w' says - you guess what.

5. Once that's done, you start issuing commands.
   
   chflags 0 /Library/InputManagers /Users/<you>/Library/InputManagers

6. You might want to check the directories are now OK.
   
   ls -adilo /Library/InputManagers /Users/<you>/Library/InputManagers
   
   You should see dashes where you previously saw that long list of nasty attributes.

7. At this point, all you have to do is reboot - and the command for this (hold on) is the following.
   
   reboot
   
   And don't hold down ⌘-S again unless you fell in love with the operator console fantasy.

As soon as you have your trusted input manager installed - lock those directories down again.

See Also
The Immutables
The Chocolate Tunnel
Input Managers - The Cure
Peeking Inside the Chocolate Tunnel