if statement problem

This should be really easy but ... it isn't working.

status on my db (sql server) has of 0 or 1.

0 for false and 1 for true.

So I am saying if that if the value is 0 then print "Open"

if not, print "Complete"

The value that is being printed is always "Open"

I tried this first:

Dim strStart,strFinal
If strStart = 0 then
  strFinal = " <font color=""#FF0000"">Open</font>"
else
  strFinal = " <font color=""#009900"">Complete</font>"
end if
Response.Write "<font color=""#000000"">" & strFinal& "</font>"

it didn't work.

Then I tried this below:

Dim strStart,strFinal
Do While Not rst.EOF
if strStart = 0 then
  strFinal = " <font color=""#FF0000"">Open</font>"
else
  strFinal = " <font color=""#009900"">Complete</font>"
end if
Response.Write "<font color=""#000000"">" & strFinal& "</font>"
rst.MoveNext

but still getting "Open" as value.

Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

I do have that assignment in my code - strStart = rst("status").

I just missed, for some reason, including that line in my post to this forum.

So yes, that value was already assigned in my code.

I actually did that; it didn't make any difference in result.

Nope, that didn't work!

What is so freaking annoying about this is that if I just leave it as rst("status"), it displays the result correctly; that is it displays either True or False but to make the result more meaningful to the user by using that simple if statement has been a nightmare.