Charging of laptop batteries

[hiflier]

If you damage the mains input of your laptop, the repair cost is greater than the value of the computer. Yet everything else continues to work. I have an ADVENT laptop, the battery has six contacts. Does anyone know whether it can be charged externally, and if so how. I don't want to buy a new laptop, though obviously I could purchase another battery to use as a backup while the first is being charged