how can i run a calculated field against existing records

how can i run a calculated field against existing records

Hi,

We want to calculate the difference between 2 existing date fields through our existing data - we have created a formula field but it says it will not calculate this on existing data - how can we do this to calculate on existing data?  Is there a better way of doing this or can we overide this somehow to calculate on existing data.
Please respond as soon as possible.
Many thanks