If you only wanted the id, don't use *. In fact, don't use * at all, only return the fields you want.
SELECT * FROM [tableName] ORDER BY [id] ASC LIMIT 1
and if it is MS SQL it would end up as SELECT TOP 1 * FROM TABLENAME ORDER BY ID
yeah, i would have said that too but was in a rush to get to a presentation this morning. only return the fields you need. it means more typing on your part but it also means a faster query, less data being passed between mysql & php (or mssql & asp), less to go wrong if you change the table structure & more secure scripts.