The present invention provides systems and methods for implementing cyclic redundancy checks to improve link initialization processing and to exchange system error information. In one aspect, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) checker is provided that includes a unique pattern detector, a CRC generator, a CRC initializer and a CRC verifier. The CRC checker prepopulates the CRC generator for a unique pattern. Upon receipt of the unique pattern within a data stream received over a digital transmission link, the CRC checker proceeds to check CRCs without the need to queue and store data. In another aspect, a CRC generator system is provided that intentionally corrupts CRC values to transmit system error information. The CRC generator system includes a CRC generator, a CRC corrupter, an error detector and an error value generator. In one example, the digital transmission link is an MDDI link.