dhenry:
Sounds like liudr wins and you lose.
This isn't some sort of bizarre game, with winners and losers.
We are trying to help resolve problems here. We "win" if we help the person who asked the question, who also wins if the suggestions work. If not, we need to explore other options.
The original post is a bit vague:
However, it doesn't work, and regardless how much I try, the display stays totally blank.
Shouldn't I be able to see black squares if it got power?
It isn't clear if the backlight is on or not, from that. Also, wiring errors (eg. to the contrast pin) could account for what you are seeing.