Lowering the contrast didn't work, but when I view with a 6 o'clock veiwing angle I can see the text.

Today I pulled out my dusty lcd and tryed to start working with it, but to my desmay it didn't work. When I plug it in it turns on and everything. The thing is that it all the character spaces are black boxes. Their is one thing I can do and that is turn the back light on and off, but that is it ...